Crash Landing
by EndlessMidnightSky
Summary: During the 74th Hunger Games, Thresh witnesses a strange boy with dark wings fall out of the sky. Upon finding each other, Fang is determined to find out what this mess he's stumbled into is. Will they survive the Hunger Games? Not a slash fic.
1. Chapter 1

******Hey guys! Ok, this is my first multiple chapter story on here so I hope it works alright. I absolutely adore Maximum Ride and the Hunger Games so this is basically just me dropping two of my favourite characters in with each other to see what happens. This is not a slash fic though. Any hints of slash is purely accidental.**

**Disclaimer: Me no own MR or THG. I'm barely worthy to look upon their creators, let alone impersonate them.  
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><p>I've never been a deep sleeper. Even before this whole mess started, the slightest noise that was out of place would wake me instantly. It had helped me several times for various reasons, but I'd never really understood how useful it was until I was reaped for the 74th Hunger Games.<p>

Of course, here there are so many out of place noises that I barely get any sleep at all, but it's better to get little sleep and stay alive than to sleep deeply and get caught off guard and killed. I stay up to watch the skies to see who's been killed. Eleven were killed on the first day during the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. The revelation had made me shudder. I myself had had no part in the bloodbath. I had been there long enough to grab a blanket and a backpack which held an empty water carrier, a loaf of Capitol bread, a pair of night glasses (which I was most pleased with) and a sleeping bag. The sleeping bag was made of some kind of material which reflected body heat back in to keep me warm, but to fit into it, I had to tuck my knees in so they were practically against my chin.

Better than freezing to death in the middle of the night.

I think it's the fifth day of the Games, but it's hard to keep track. On the first day, I found a field of tall grasses that came up to my shoulder. Some of them are wheat. There was a small stream running down the middle of the field, making it the perfect hiding spot. Tall grass to hide in and also ambush anyone who comes in, I can eat the wheat and drink the water (although I have to "treat" it first to make it safe). The Careers know I'm here, I heard them on the first day after the bloodbath, debating whether to come in after me or not. In the end they decided against it. Who wants to come in after the great dark giant from District 11 when he could be right behind you, ready to snap your neck? Not exactly the most inviting situation.

But whilst listening to the Careers argue amongst themselves, I had learned something which had both shocked and shaken me.

The boy from District 12 who was in love with his partner had joined the Careers.

This shocked me more than hearing of the deaths of the eleven tributes in the first day. I had been sure the boy would form an alliance with the girl considering he was in love with her…so why had he joined the group who were hell bent on killing her? It made no sense to me. Unless…unless he would try to draw them away from her. Yes, that was a possibility A dangerous, risky option, but if he was really in love, he'd take that risk.

I would for Rue.

I lay back in the long grasses, staring up at the clear sky. Day five (I think) in the Hunger Games and Rue, tiny Rue is still alive. But for how much longer? I push the thought quickly form my mind. The thought of her lying cold and dead is too much to bare.

A cannon went off yesterday, a few minutes after a huge explosion shook the air. I don't know what happened, nor do I much care, as long as the cannon hadn't been Rue's. I watched the skies that night and prayed it was someone else. It had been the boy from District three. The relief that Rue was still alive was great, but I felt upset about losing the boy from three even though I never knew him.

Who knows how much longer this nightmare is going to go on for. Who knows who's going to be the lucky one to survive and go home. Personally, I think the odds are in Fire Girl's favour. That eleven in training's got to count for something and her show in the Parade is bound to get her several sponsors.

But if she wins, Rue will die. Rue's only twelve and so small. Her skills of tree climbing and jumping are her best chances, but they can't keep her alive forever. Even if she makes it to the last two, she'll have to fight to win. But who will she be fighting? I pray it's not me. I couldn't kill her, even if it ensured my own survival. I don't want to kill anyone if I can help it, but I could if that's what it came down to. But not Rue.

Sighing, I closed my eyes as the sun begins to set. I hate this so much. The Games are a complete, psychotic mess. Pitting child against child…it's just barbaric. Barbaric, horrific and…

'Shit!' My eyes snapped open at the yell and I got to my feet quickly, but stayed low so my head didn't show above the grass. The voice seemed to have come from above me, but how was that possible? There were no trees for several hundred yards at least.

I looked up.

A dark shape had blotted out the early sun and was speeding towards the ground…falling. But what the heck was it? Too big for a bird and it had spoken. I watched it fall, then, just twenty or so metres above the ground, it threw out two enormous black wings. The wings caught the air and slowed the creature's descent, but didn't stop it and I heard the thud as it vanished out of sight and hit the ground.

For a moment, I stood frozen, trying to figure out what the heck it had been. It had fallen not to far away in the grasses and would no doubt eventually stumble upon me and my camp if it could walk. The question was, should I find out what it is first or wait and hope it doesn't find me.

I hate not knowing things.

Grabbing a nearby rock that was about the size of a loaf of bread, I slowly began to make my way towards where I saw the creature land.

It's a muttation. It has to be. People don't have pitch black, eight foot long _wings_ growing from their backs! Even people from the Capitol haven't gone that far. It's lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, the earth around him dented from the impact. I'm surprised it's alive after such a fall from the height it must've been flying at, but mutts often have a much higher durability than normal creatures. But this thing is unlike any other muttation I've ever seen or heard about. Under the cover of feathers and wings, the little of its body I can see looks disturbingly human. I heard it speak as it fell and…is it wearing clothes? Yes. They're black like its wings and rather grubby although I'm hardly one to talk (no pun intended). I watch from the cover of the tall grasses, several yards away. It's alive, I can tell that much, but I think it's unconscious.

I should kill it now before it wakes up. Muttations are never good news. The only good that's ever come out of them are the Mockingjays.

My fingers tighten around the rock in my hand as I slowly begin to make my way towards it. Before I'm halfway, a low groan comes from it and it shifts, pushing itself up. I crouch down slightly to be better hidden, then freeze.

'Dammit.' There's the voice again. Low, quiet, similar to mine. The mutt's sitting up now and my eyes widen. It's a boy. I'd guess he's about sixteen or seventeen, but definitely human. Or human looking… The dark wings behind him pull up, then fold loosely against his back but the movement draws my attention to one of his arms, dangling uselessly and clearly dislocated. The mutt notices this at the same time as I do and a scowl crosses his face. Then, without a word, he grips the dislocated limb with his other hand and shoves it back into place with only a slight hiss of pain.

Great.

Not only is this thing able to fly and survive falls from high places, it can apparently endure a lot of pain. And now I've lost my initial strategy of taking it out before it wakes up. I back up slightly. It's head snaps up.

'Who's there?'

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><p><strong>Tada! Oh boy, I wonder how this is gonna turn out! For the record, I have as much idea as the rest of you :D . Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review telling me what you thought and how I could improve it.<strong>

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Crash Landing: Chapter 2**

**Hey guys! This is chapter two up and I hope you all enjoy it. A huge thanks to emilyroorose for your review, it means a lot to me.**

**In case there was any confusion, the last chapter was from Thresh's POV (as I'm sure you worked out) and this chapter will be from Fang's POV. I'll probabaly continue alternating like this, but I haven't decided yet. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own THG or MR.**

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><p>I never planned on crash landing in the middle of a field surrounded by forest. Why the hell would I plan on doing something stupid like that? I'd been flying along with the flock as per usual and I was lower than everyone else. Then I felt as if I'd flown through a sort of bubble, but when I tried to fly out of it again, it repelled me and…well I'm sure you can figure out the rest. Fortunately, I was relatively unhurt although my now un-dislocated arm hurt like hell, but at least I could move it.<p>

I look around, trying to work out exactly where I've crashed. Something rustled in the bushes and my head snapped towards it.

'Who's there?' I demanded. As soon as the words leave my lips, I feel kind of stupid. I mean…it could be an animal and unless they've been genetically enhanced like Total…animals can't talk. However, they can be dangerous. I stand up and turn to where the noise came from, my eyes skating over the long grasses, looking for any signs of what it could've been.

_There._

I can just make out a slight shape in the tall grasses. It's big and dark…Eraser. But they were all retired! Ari was the last one, how could this one still be alive? No time to think, I launch myself at it at the same moment a large rock comes flying towards my head. I only just dodge it. Have they been degraded from guns to rocks now? The Eraser stands up and backs away, making my first attack miss. I land easily and whip back around to face him. Dark skinned, at least three inches taller than my six-foot-three and face twisted into a grimace of determination. He's lost his rock, it's hand to hand now. From what I can see, he's not one of the new versions and so has no wings. Advantage: Fang.

He rounds on me and grabs my shoulders, forcing me back, but then I get a grip on him as well and now it's like a wrestling match. Damn, he's strong! But all the Erasers are. The good thing is that they're not very agile although they can be very quick. I'm smaller than he is, maybe I can use that to my advantage.

Suddenly I let go of him, pulling backwards so his own momentum makes him fall of balance. Instantly I dart around and kick him in the side, toppling him onto the ground. Then I pin him there and punch him in the jaw.

'Give up, dog breath and I might let you go,' I snarl, raising my fist for another assault. Confusion crosses his face for a split second.

'I give up and you let me go?' he asks. His voice is deep and smooth, but lacks the usual oily undertone of most Erasers.

'Possibly.' He scowls.

'Some mutt, letting people go.'

'_I'm _a mutt? Please, don't make me laugh, dog boy.' Clearly this Eraser wasn't gifted with brains.

'Who's laughing?' he growls. 'And I'm not a dog.'

'Could've fooled me.' Suddenly a sound echoes through the air. A cannon. What is this, the middle ages? The Eraser's eyes harden and he suddenly twists out of my grip, standing up.

'Sixteen down,' he whispers, pain flickering across his face. Then he turns back to me, clearly ready to attack me again.

'Sixteen down?' I repeat. What the hell is he on about? He nods, then composes his expression and punches me hard in the chest. I'd been trying to understand what he meant by sixteen down and as a result, I didn't have time to block his attack. It caught me head on and knocked the breath out of me. I stumbled back several steps and he punched me again, this time knocking me to the ground. He tries to pin me down, but I kick him off and flip our positions so now I'm holding him down, my long fingers trapping his dark wrists. I've never seen a dark skinned Eraser before.

'Alright, creep. I want answers. What does "sixteen down" mean?' I demand. He keeps struggling against me and I have to use all my strength to keep him pinned.

'You can talk, you should know,' he replies, hatred in his dark eyes.

'How the hell should I know?'

'You probably helped kill some of them!' _What?_

'I haven't killed anyone.'

'Why you here then?'

'I fell.' Surely he'd seen…

'No, in the arena. You here to kill.' This was just getting more and more confusing by the second.

'What arena? Why would I be here to kill?' I demand. 'Is this some sort of sick experiment the bastards at the School dreamt up?'

'School?'

'The science lab. Whatever. Where you were created.' Now he's looking at me as if I'm completely insane.

'I wasn't…' he trails off as another cannon echoes across the field. His eyes tighten.

'Seventeen.' The word is quiet. Barely even a whisper.

'Seventeen down?' I ask. He nods once, glaring at the sky behind me. 'And why do you think I killed some of them?'

'You're a mutt.'

'_You're_ the dog here,' I snap back.

'_Muttation_.'

'Dumbass. It's _mutation_.'

'Not.' This isn't going anywhere.

'Who are they? The ones I apparently helped kill?' He shakes his head.

'You really don't know?'

'No, you damn Eraser, of course I bloody don't know!' Silence.

'Eraser?' he repeats slowly.

'Or human-lupine hybrid.' The Erasers might not know the flock's slang.

'I…don't understand,' he admits after a pause. He's stopped struggling, but I don't loosen my grip.

'It's what you are, moron!' I snap.

'I'm not a hybrid.' I scoff.

'Sure you're not.'

'If I were a hybrid, wouldn't I look part animal?' That stumps me for a second. The Erasers normally shift to their wolfy selves when fighting because it gives them the advantage of fangs and claws. He hasn't. He still looks completely human.

'What are you then?' I demand.

'Human,' he replies simply.

'Prove it.'

'How?' That is…a good question. We both stare at each other in silence, trying to figure the other out.

'You have wings,' he says after a few minutes. I shake them out in reply. 'How?'

'I _am_ a hybrid,' I reply quietly.

'Why haven't you killed me then?'

'I don't kill.'

'All mutts kill. S'why they're there.'

'Well maybe I'm not a mutt then.' I'm beginning to get annoyed again.

'So what are you?'

'I'm a hybrid, but I wasn't created to kill.'

'Why should I believe you?'

'Why should I believe you're not an Eraser?' That shuts him up. 'If I was one of these "mutts", wouldn't I have killed you by now?'

'Yes.'

'And I have I?'

'No.'

'So I'm not a mutt.' Silence again. I can practically see his mind figuring this out.

'Alright. I believe you,' he finally says quietly. I'm also thinking he's not an Eraser. He doesn't seem to know about the School, he hasn't shifted to look wolfy, his eyes are warm, unlike the cold, calculating, bloodthirsty eyes of the Erasers and his voice lacks the sly undertone. Very slowly, I release my grip on his wrists and step back. He gets up, his eyes never leaving me in case I attack him again. But I don't. With both of us standing up straight, he's an inch or two taller than my 6'4". We both regard each other and I fold my wings in, feeling a little self conscious.

'You have a name?' he asks.

'Not for you,' I reply. Eraser he might not be, but by no means did that mean I was just going to trust him. I don't even bother asking for his name. Why would he give it when I wouldn't give mine?

'What does sixteen, seventeen down mean?' I finally ask, breaking the silence. Pain and anger flits across his face.

'Sixteen, seventeen dead,' he replies quietly. I blink. 'The cannon means a death.'

'What is this place?' He stares at me like I'm crazy. Like that is a question no one should have to ask. But this is me and the flock and I aren't exactly up to date on a lot of things.

'The arena,' he replies and I can hear an undertone of hate evident in his voice.

'The arena for what?' He shakes his head. 'Come on, tell me.'

'Lucky you don't know,' he whispers. Ok, so clearly this is worse than I originally anticipated.

'An arena where people are sent to die?' I guess.

'Close enough.'

'Well, what then?' He pauses, as if trying to decide whether or not to tell me. For a moment, I don't think he will, but then he looks up.

'Last one alive wins.' My eyes widen slightly, the Fang version of complete astonishment, as I realise what he means.

'You have to kill each other?' I ask, horror colouring my tone. He nods once, his expression hard.

'It's called The Hunger Games.'

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><p><strong>Et voila! That is chapter two completed. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Bonus points for anyone who can name the two Tributes whose cannons sounded during this chapter.<strong>

**I've got a lot of exams this week so I might not be able to get chapter 3 up, but I promise that it _will_ come. I refuse to leave this story part way like so many people seem to do.**

**Review? Even if it's a flame or just one word, I would really appreciate some feedback. Thanks.**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Crash Landing: ****Chapter 3**

**Sorry it took so long, I've been swamped with revision for exams this last week so I didn't have much time to write. But that's mostly over for now. Just a french and music next weeks.**

**In the mean time, chapter three! My many thanks to HungerGamesGirl98 for your review. Much appreciated, thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I'm sixteen, 5"8' and English. That makes me neither James Patterson nor Suzanne Collins.  
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><p>'The Hunger Games?' Bird-boy repeats. I nod once, my eyes hard. 'What's that.'<p>

'This,' I reply simply, gesturing to the surrounding field and forest. He scowls, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

'That doesn't answer my question. Are you saying these "Hunger Games" are when people are tossed into a forest to kill each other?'

'Not always a forest,' I correct quietly, trying to put off telling him what these games are. But how can he not know? Everyone in Panem knows what the Hunger games are unless they're just a few months old which he definitely isn't.

'Whatever. Do you kill each other?'

'Yes.' He takes a step back from me, his almost black eyes hardening in what seems to be disgust.

'So you kill people for sport,' he says, the anger evident in his tone. I feel a rush of anger of my own as I realise what he means. He thinks I wanted this. He thinks I'm in this for fun.

'You think I chose this?' I snap, my hands clenching into hard fists.

'Why should I believe otherwise?' he replies coolly.

'I never chose this!' No one except the damn Careers chose to be in the Hunger Games, but even they wouldn't chose if the Capitol hadn't created the Hunger Games in the first place.

'Why should I believe you?'

'You think I _want_ to kill?'

'I've met several people in my life who do, it wouldn't surprise me if you're one of them.' That's when I swing at him. Normally I try to keep my anger in check, knowing my strength is dangerous… But he's crossed a line here. The mere _thought_ that I could enjoy participating in the Hunger Games is so repulsive it actually makes me shudder.

'And there's my proof,' Bird-boy remarks, easily side stepping my blow. I close my eyes and reign my anger in. My fists uncurl, but I'm shaking slightly.

'You have no idea how much I hate this,' I whisper, glaring at the ground.

'Prove it. Prove you're not here for the enjoyment of killing.'

'This is day five or six. I have killed no one.'

'Have you had the chance?'

'Yes.' The cornucopia. I could've easily killed there, but I chose to run, the screams ringing in my ears. Eleven dead by the time it was over. Eleven dead…

'Why are you here then?' he asks after a moments silence.

'Got chosen,' I reply shortly. The Reaping isn't something I want to remember.

'So…what? You were forced to do this?' I nod wordlessly. 'By who?'

'The Capitol.' He frowns slightly.

'They top dog?' I nod again and he swears under his breath.

'What?' I ask. He doesn't reply. 'I told you about the Hunger Games, now you tell me 'bout you.'

'I have wings,' he replies, shrugging. I roll my eyes. Did he now? Gee, I must've missed that…

'How did you get them?' He clams up. I can tell from the dead set in his eyes that there's no way he's going to tell me that. I'm trying to think of another question which takes a while because I'm really bad with words, but he beats me to it.

'What's your name?'

'Thresh,' I reply. The whole of Panem knows my name, why should I even bother trying to keep it a secret? Bird-boy gives me a funny look.

'What's your real name?' Does he think I'm lying? Why would I do that?

'Thresh,' I repeat. There's a pause.

'Seriously?'

'Yes.' He mutters something under his breath but I can't quite catch it. Why does he think I've lied about my name? Back home in District 11, it's common for people to be named after plants and things to do with agriculture. My name comes from a harvesting technique used on wheat to separate the grain from the chaff. My older sister, Hazel was named after my mother's favourite tree.

'You?' I ask.

'What?'

'Your name?'

'Nick.' He's lying. I've got a knack for telling when people are lying. Comes from years of being lied to by so many different people, you tend to pick up the tells.

'It isn't.'

'Yes it is.'

'Told you mine.'

'My name is Nick.' I sigh. He's not going to tell me.

'Fine.' I still don't believe him, but I figure he must be in trouble or something and doesn't want other people to know his real name in case they give him away.

There's an uncomfortable silence where we both just stand there, doing nothing. "Nick" shifts his weight every now and then as if he doesn't want to stay still for too long. After a couple of minutes, I remember that I've hardly eaten anything today. I was about to have supper but got distracted by him crash landing.

'Hungry?' I ask. I've got plenty of food, the wheat around me is what provides most of it and that's not running out any time soon. Nick looks at me suspiciously as if he's wondering if I'm tricking him. I turn and start making my way back to camp. The offer's there, he can either follow me or not.

He follows me.

It only takes a few minutes to reach my camp with is a small rocky cluster in the middle of the field which has provided some shelter as the rocks for a small cave. I can't stand up in it, but it's better than sleeping out in the open.

Wordlessly, I pull out the grainy bread I've managed to make from the wheat that surrounds me and tear it in half, offering him the larger half and biting into my own share. This confirmation that the food is safe to eat, he digs in hungrily. He hasn't eaten in a while. I'm almost tempted to ask when the last time he ate was, but instead I just hand him another chunk of bread which he accepts gladly.

'Ok,' he says once he's finished the second chunk. 'Explain.'

'What?' I ask, needing more specificity.

'These "Hunger Games". Why are they there? What are they?' I still don't understand how he can not know about the Hunger Games, but clearly he doesn't and seeing as he's landed right in the middle of one… He deserves to know.

So I tell him.

I'm never one to say more than I can help, but I manage. I tell him about the rebellion seventy four years ago and how the Districts were defeated, resulting in the Hunger Games as punishment. I tell him about how well off the Capitol is compared to the Districts, the majority of which face starvation day after day before explaining about the Career districts. Then I move on to how the Tributes are chosen for the games and train for almost a week before being sent into the arena. How the only rule is kill or be killed and the last one standing wins. I explain how the cannons we heard earlier signal that a Tribute has been killed and that tonight we'll see their picture in the sky so we know who's dead and who's still alive. Then I tell him about Fire Girl and the boy in love with her, Monster boy and Knife girl from District two, the sly girl from five, the cripple from ten…and Rue. Sweet, tiny Rue who should never have to face this nightmare of pure horror.

By the time I've finished, the Sun has nearly set and I must've said more than I have in the last three years put together, if not more. Nick has stayed silent throughout my speech, save for the odd question here and there. Now, he stares at me in silence for several minutes as his bird-kid brain takes all the new information in.

'Have you killed anyone yet?' he eventually asks. I shake my head.

'Are you going to?' Another shake. 'That means you're going to die.'

'Then I die as me,' I reply quietly. He tilts his head to one side, something new flickering in his eyes, but I can't tell what it is. Nick's very hard to read. Over the years, I've developed a knack for reading people's emotions through their facial expressions, eyes and body language, but Nick's proving to be tricky. He keeps everything very controlled and stable so that he always appears calm, but prepared for anything. I'm growing to respect the talent.

At that moment, the Capitol's anthem booms out across the arena. I'm fairly used to it by now, but Nick jumps up and whirls around towards the cave entrance, his fists hard, ready to fight. I stand up and head outside where the Capitol's seal is now being projected into the dark sky. Nick walks over to join me, following my gaze and relaxing his stance ever so slightly as he realises we're not under attack.

The first image appears and I'm surprised to see it's the boy from District 1. Careers usually last longer than this. But it's becoming clear that this Games are not in the Career's favour. With him dead, that leaves just he two from District two. The boy from four was killed on the first day. The girls from one and four were both killed on the same day a few days ago and now him…

'That's one of the Careers?' Nick asks. I nod. After about thirty seconds, the picture shifts to the second person who was kil…

My breath stops.

My heart stops beating and my blood freezes in my veins. Everything, even _time _stops as I stare, unblinking at the face in the sky.

I know that face.

I know every inch of it. Soft brown eyes with the lively glint framed by a torrent of black, curly hair. Smooth, dark skin and full lips which even now have the hint of a smile playing on them. The perfect picture of beauty and innocence, shown for the last time to signal her death.

Rue.

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><p><strong>Poor Rue! I cried the first time I read the part when she dies and I can guarantee you that I'll cry in the movie as well. Are you guys excited about the movie? Less than a month now, squee!<strong>

**Thanks for reading, please leave a contribution (otherwise known as a reiveiw) in the little box.**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Crash landings:**** Chapter 4**

**OMG, it's almost been two weeks since I uploaded! I'm so sorry! I do have an excuse though: School. Yeah. Damn exams... Anyway, Hunger Games is out in less than a week! Oh yeah! I really hope they did it properly...**

**Once again, the POV has changed and this chapter is from Fang's POV, but I'm sure you guys could've worked that out after reading the first few sentences. :)**

**Disclaimer: sarcasmI own Hunger Games and Maximum Ride and claim all the copyright for them./sarcasm**

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><p>My head's spinning from all the new information I've just been given. A huge mix of emotions swirls through me, but I'm careful not to let them appear in my expression. What Thresh has just told me… Almost makes me shudder. That a high power like that can make children kill one another… It reminds me of the School. The Capitol is the school and we, the flock are the Districts who suffer so much because of them.<p>

When the music suddenly explodes through the air, my instincts kick in and I whip around, half expecting to find Erasers of Fly-boys or whatever the hell they're making these days in front of us. But it's just the open field. Thresh walks past me out into the open, turning his face to the sky. Then I realise that this must be the "Capitol" showing everyone in the arena who's been killed today. Feeling a little silly about my reaction, I follow Thresh out and look up at the giant eagle symbol, framed by two laurel branches. Then it blinks and vanishes, to be replaced with a picture of a boy. He looks about seventeen and he's smirking at the camera in such a way that I instantly don't trust him even though he's dead. There's a number one beneath his picture. He was from District 1. Wait, isn't that one of the Districts who train for the games?

'That's one of the Careers?' I ask. Thresh nods, looking slightly surprised. After a few moments, the boy's image is replaced by that of a girl who looks about ten. I flinch. She reminds me of Angel and Nudge. Dark skinned (like Nudge), young (like Angel), pretty and vulnerable (except Nudge and Angel aren't as vulnerable as this girl looks). I feel a wash of sympathy, coupled with anger. This girl didn't do anything wrong. She's too young to die, far to young.

Then I notice the number eleven beneath her image.

_Eleven._

Isn't that the district Thresh said he was from? Then that must be his district partner, Renn. No…Rue. Yes, Rue. I turn to Thresh, about to apologise for losing her, but one look at him and the words freeze in my throat.

His hands are tight fists, his whole body rigid as he stares unblinking up at Rue's picture, his face distorted into an expression of horror, sadness, loss, anger, disbelief and pain. He's practically radiating grief and suddenly he looks so much more vulnerable. A far cry from the strong, hulking man I was fighting earlier, or even the boy who seemed to age beyond his years as he told me the ugly truth about his world.

This man is broken.

The girl's picture vanishes and is replaced with the eagle symbol again whilst the music blares out for about ten seconds before falling silent and the sky goes dark. Silently, I look back to Thresh, wondering what his reaction is going to be and wondering if there's any way I can help him. But other people's emotions and how to get them through it isn't exactly my forte. Unless it's Max.

'She was _twelve_!' I almost jump, but years of hiding my emotions keep me still as Thresh practically howls at the sky. However his raised voice surprises me, I've never heard him so loud or so angry. Not even when I accused him of enjoying being part of the Games.

'She was twelve, dammit, and you killed her! Why? _What did she ever do wrong?_' His face is upturned to the sky and even from this distance, I can see the moonlight reflecting off two sole tears trickling down his dark cheeks.

'She never deserved this. She didn't deserve to suffer or die, but you killed her anyway. Rue never hurt you! Rue… _Rue!_' Suddenly it's as if someone's sucked all the strength and anger out of him. He drops to his knees and buries his face in his hands. His massive frame is shaking, the muscles in his arms flexing and un-flexing.

I stay silent. I can't cry for this girl. I never knew her and as a rule, I don't cry. The only time I think I would ever cry would be if one of the flock was killed.

That's what it must be like for Thresh. Losing Rue to him is what it would be like to lose Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy or Angel to me. Losing Max would be different. When he was telling me about Rue, his eyes lit up and I could tell easily that this was someone he cared about a lot.

Now she's dead.

I go back to Thresh's camp, but sit down outside instead of going under the rock formation. To go in would be intruding, but I can tell Thresh needs some space right now. Space to grieve Rue's death and, hopefully, eventually pull himself together. There's nothing he can do to bring her back and from what he's told me, chances are he'll be joining her before the end of these games. If he won't kill anyone, he can't win.

That makes me think. What would the flock do if we were thrown into these Hunger Games? Would we kill to ensure our survival? Would we turn on each other? No, we wouldn't do that. We're too close. Sometimes I think we're stronger than family because of what we've endured together. It's not necessarily who you're related to, but more about what you've been through with who that matters.

But would we kill people outside the flock? We've killed Erasers before and fly-boys and the others that came after them don't count because they were robots… But these would just be ordinary humans. Children.

I couldn't kill a child.

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><p>It's almost two hours later when Thresh comes back. He doesn't talk, he doesn't even look at me even though I'm not blended in with the background. I can tell he's been crying from the tear tracks down his cheeks which he's made no effort to rub away. His shoulders are hunched over as if he's carrying a heavy load and there's a hollow look in his eyes. He walks straight past me and into his camp where he grabs some sticks from a stack in the corner and brings them back outside where he arranges them within a circle of charred rocks I'd taken to be his fire place. One of the thicker sticks is too big so he snaps it across his knee. The look on his face as he does so makes me wonder if he's wishing it's Rue's killer's neck he's snapping instead of a stick.<p>

Once he gets the fire going, he sits down and just stares into the flames. His actions up until now have been almost mechanical, as if he wasn't completely aware he was doing them. But now he's back. The flames are reflecting of his dark, amber flecked eyes.

The two of us are silent for at least an hour. I can't help but wonder what the rest of the flock is doing right now. They must be in complete panic. But why haven't they found me yet? If what I fell through is, as I suspect, a force-field to keep the Tributes from escaping it would explain how I could get through from the outside, but then couldn't get back out. But it doesn't explain why they haven't followed me. Unless the force-field's hardened so they can't get through from the outside.

So how do I get back?

A quiet sound brings me out of my thoughts. It's a low, mellow noise and I can just make out the odd word here and there. My gaze flickers to Thresh. His eyes haven't left the fire, but his lips are moving and in his hands are several strands of long grass which he's twisting together.

He's singing.

From what I can make out, it's a song for the dead. Remembering all the life they showed, how the sun would rise each morning for them and the moon would drive away the darkness at night. It wishes them well on their journey to the land of the dead where they will be reunited with those they have lost. It's saying goodbye.

As the last note fades into the air, Thresh's fingers stop manipulating the grass and I can see that it's some sort of braid. Like a plait, but with many more strings and more complicated. Thresh twists it to form the letter R and stares at it for a moment, tracing the shape with one finger. Then he carefully tosses it into the flames, places his right hand over his heart and bows his head, whispering two words.

'Goodbye, Rue.'

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><p><strong>*Sniffs* So sad! Yeah, so I figured Thresh must've cared about Rue a lot considering he killed Clove, believeing her responsible. In which case, he would've been pretty shaken when he saw that she'd been killed. I hope I managed to get tha side of him right...<strong>

**Leave a review and tell me how I did? It would be very much appreciated.**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Crash Landing: Chapter 5**

**Hunger Games movie is out!**** Yaaaaaay! My friend and I are going to see it tomorrow and I can't wait! Hope you all enjoy it when you get to see it as well :D**

**Thank you all for your reviews, they are very much appreciated and double-oh-nothing, your review has just given me a very good idea... It won't turn up for a few chapters, but I'm sure you'll notice it when it does.**

**Enjoy chapter 5!**

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><p>I remember when my parents were killed when I was eleven. The crop had been bad that year due to blight and drought, so many families were starving as we got so little food for our labour. After Grandfather starved to death, Hazel had quit school so she could work full time in the orchards and fields so as to earn more for our remaining family. She signed up for as much tessarae as she was allowed, but it wasn't enough.<p>

I only had a few months to go until my twelfth birthday so I could sign up for tessarae and quit school as well. Who needed education when your family's lives were in danger? Not me, that was for sure.

The months seemed to stretch out forever, every day feeling like it lasted a week. Grandmother was getting weaker and weaker even though all the rest of us were giving up half our rations to her. I started counting down the days until my birthday, willing them to come and go faster so I could get the tessarae. But the days stayed stubbornly long, hot, dry and merciless.

Seventy three days before my birthday, Mother and Father came home from their late night shift in the orchards, acting like prey. They glanced over their shoulders, their eyes darting from side to side. They'd stolen some rotten apples from the orchard. We knew we shouldn't eat them. That if we were caught, we were bound to be whipped or even killed… But we were so hungry! We ate every single bite of those apples. Even the cores and pips.

Hazel and I didn't sleep well that night. The fear that we would be caught and killed drove any wisps of unconsciousness far from our minds. In our shared mattress, we held onto each other in the darkness, whispering to each other that it would be alright. That no one had seen us eat. That no one had seen our parents take the fruit. As the sun began to melt the darkness, I finally drifted off to sleep in my sister's strong arms.

I woke up with a peacekeeper's gun pointing at my head.

Everything happened so fast after that, I still struggle with the details. Mother and Father were already bound and captured, Hazel and I soon also restrained. They planned to kill Grandmother on the spot as she was so old, but just as the head peacekeeper prepared to fire, Mother twisted out of her captor's grip and threw herself in the way. The shot went through her skull, killing her before she hit the ground. The image seared itself into my mind. I can still see it sometimes, when I close my eyes.

They left Grandmother in the hut with the dead body of her daughter, and Father, Hazel and I were dragged to the whipping posts. Once the crowd had been rounded up, Hazel and I were each whipped to within an inch of unconsciousness. But they made sure we stayed conscious. So that we could watch them beat our father to death right in front of us.

That's when I stopped speaking. I'd never been a big talker anyway, but it was almost a year after Mother and Father were killed that I spoke again. Throughout that whole time, I felt empty. Hollow, empty and silent. A hateful feeling that swallowed me up so I was unable to break free. I went through day after day almost mechanically whilst my mind tried to repair itself after witnessing the horror of me parents' deaths.

It's the same, hollow emptiness that is now beginning to drag me back under after the news of Rue's demise.

I watch the woven grass slowly burn to cinders in the golden fire. The cold air barely affects me, I won't feel anything for a while now. Everything's gone numb, trying to hide me from the reality that she's gone. She's dead. I won't ever hear her sweet song sweeping through the trees to signal the end of working hours. I won't watch her laughing with her friends and younger siblings as they haul their day's pickings up to the storehouse. I won't feel her tiny arms around me as she finally admits that she's absolutely terrified just after the interviews.

'Thresh?' I know it's Nick, but his voice seems to be coming from a long way away. None of my muscles move to respond to him.

'They can't hurt her now,' he says quietly. I shift slightly. He's right. No one can hurt Rue now. Not the other Tributes, not the Capitol…no one. Wherever she is, she's safe. Good and safe.

Unwillingly, my mind drifts to wondering how she died. She'd said she was going to try and team up with Fire Girl, I hope it wasn't at her hands that she died. Fire Girl wouldn't do that, right? She volunteered for her sister who looked twelve as well. But the Games change people… Maybe she never met up with Fire Girl. Maybe it was a Career or one of the other Tributes. I just hope it wasn't a muttation. Those deaths are often the most painful.

'You should get some sleep.' Nick's quiet voice pulls me out of my thoughts and back to the present. Sleep? No. There's no chance of me being able to sleep tonight. I shake my head silently, still staring at the fire, which has now mostly burnt itself out, leaving a few flickering flames and smouldering embers.

Nick prods the fire with a stick, sending thousands of tiny sparks up into the night. New stars being released, but only a few of them will reach the sky. Or so the legend from home says.

'She used to sing for us,' I find myself saying quietly. 'At the end of every day, she'd sing to let us know it was time to stop work.' Nick's stopped poking the fire and I can feel his eyes on me, but I don't look up.

'The Mockingjays would always join in. Sometimes I thought she was more like them than like us. The way she seemed to fly from tree to tree, her sweet, clear voice, her free spirit… A young bird trapped in a human girl's body.'

'You must've really cared for her,' Nick says. I nod once.

'We were assigned to the same tree during harvest. She taught me songs so we could sing together. I sounded better with her covering me up. She never did anything wrong, never got whipped, never got beaten…' She hadn't deserved this. She'd had her whole life ahead of her. True, it would've been a harsh one, but it would've been _there_. She would've been _alive_.

'Whipped?' Nick echoes. 'They whip you?' I nod. He mutters something under his breath and the only word I catch I'm not going to repeat.

We both fall silent after that. The fire slowly dies but neither of us make any attempt to rekindle it. With the fire gone, the chill of the night is beginning to settle in. Nick pulls his jacket closer around himself. I would get into my sleeping bag, but I still don't trust Nick and I don't like the idea of my movement being limited by the bag so I just grit my teeth and deal with it. The numbness is still flowing through me so it's probably a lot colder than what I'm feeling.

'You're not going to sleep, are you?' The way he says it, it's more of a statement than a question.

'Won't be able to,' I reply anyway.

'Guess we'll just have to stick it out then,' he mutters.

'You can sleep,' I tell him.

'No. I don't trust you enough,' he replies. I shrug, can't really argue with that, it's part of the reason I won't sleep either. But most of it's Rue.

I miss her already and she hasn't been dead a full day. Even though we never got to carry out our planned alliance, I could still feel her presence because I knew she was still in the arena. Still alive. But now she isn't and everything seems empty. The air, the ground… Like some of the colour, taste, smell and even feel of it has lessened slightly.

We'd planned to be in an alliance before the Games started, but then we got separated at the cornucopia and couldn't find each other again. I'd found this field and claimed the territory, hoping Rue would figure out where I was and come and join me. But she hadn't.

Now I wish, more than anything, that I'd looked for her. Maybe if I had, I could've prevented her death, she could still be alive. Maybe…

Neither of us sleep that night, we just sit there around the remains of the fire, not speaking, not doing anything, just being. Rue doesn't leave my thoughts for a second. I am determined to remember everything I know about her and keep all my memories of her alive in my mind. She may be dead to the world, but I can keep her essence alive inside me. I won't ever forget Rue. I owe her that much at least.

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><p><strong>Yeah, so this chapter might not have been that eventful, but it's important to the story because it lets you get inside Thresh's head. Hope you enjoyed it.<strong>

**Coming up: Claudius Templesmith announces the rule change.  
><strong>

**Review? It would be very much appreciated.**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Crash Landing: Chapter 6**

**I'm going on a skiing trip to Austria with my school this coming week so unfortunately, I won't be able to update. I don't know if there'll be internet where we're staying but I doubt there will be and in any case, I won't have much spare time. I'll update soon after I get back, I promise.**

**Oh, have you guys seen the movie? It's A-MAZE-ING! Seriously, I went in, worried that they'd messed it up but I came out very satisfied. If you have seen it, what did you think? If you haven't seen it... Book your tickets!**

**Disclaimer: If MR and THG were mine, I would be the happiest person alive. However, they aren't and I'm not.**

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><p>The night seems to stretch on forever, but at last I see the black turning dark grey over to the East. Neither Thresh or I have slept for a second and I'm exhausted, though I won't admit it. On more than one occasion, I caught Thresh crying, Rue's name slipping out of his mouth. Maybe it's a good thing he didn't sleep tonight, I don't want to think about the nightmares that would surely have plagued him if he had.<p>

As the Sun rises, I can't help noticing it seems to be gaining altitude faster than normal. Can the "Gamemakers" control how fast the Sun rises and sets? They could plummet us into night at any second, then make it midday five minutes later. The thought of having that much control of an area that affects so many people's lives makes me shudder inwardly.

With the Sun rising, Thresh forces himself to his feet and into his camp. He comes back out with a large canteen of water which he takes several large gulps from, then offers to me. I take it gladly, knowing it's not poisoned since he just drank from it himself and I'm so thirsty. I don't want to finish it in case it's all we've got, but Thresh catches my hesitation and says "Plenty more" so I finish it. Just like last night, Thresh seems to be operating on autopilot, his movements heavy and often clumsy as if he's not fully aware of what he's doing.

Rue's death has struck him hard.

I've known him for less than twenty four hours, yet I feel I'm already beginning to trust him. It's obvious he hates these "Hunger Games" and wants no part in them. No way could he be described as a killer, I mean…he's hiding out in a field, avoiding all the action. And look at how he responded, and is still responding, to that young girl's death.

When I get out of this nightmare, I am never letting Nudge, Gazzy or Angel out of my sight again.

I look at the ground as I suddenly realise how much I'm missing them already. Even though I'm the one stuck in a place where kids are sent to battle to the death, I can't help but worry about them. I hope that they're ok, that they're safe and not _too_ worried about me suddenly vanishing in the middle of the flight. Yeah, they'll be alright without me until I figure out a way to get out of here.

Who am I kidding? Max is probably completely freaking out at the moment. She won't show it though. She'll keep it all inside so the younger kids don't know how worried she is. Iggy will probably be able to tell though. He's scarily good at picking out undertones in people's voices.

Once I'm out of here, Max is going to hit me, hug me, kiss me, slap me and yell at me for the next twenty four hours. And do you know what? I don't care. Because ever single one of those actions will remind me that she's still there. Still alive. I have only to look at Thresh to get a glimpse of what I would be like if I lost Max.

Somewhere to the left, a bird whistles a handful of notes and I suddenly realise that other than Thresh and I, that's the first hint of any other animal I've seen or heard.

Another bird, slightly closer to us sings four notes and suddenly Thresh lurches on his feet, the grainy bread he was picking absently at tumbling to the ground. His eyes are wide as he whips around, almost stumbling in his haste.

'Rue!' I blink. That's a bird, not a girl, and anyway, Rue's dead. But before I can say any of this, Thresh is running for a dead sapling that sticks up above the tall grasses about a hundred metres away. I put down my own bread and follow him through the large tracks he's made.

When I come to the dead tree, Thresh is staring up at a small black bid which white wings. The bird opens its mouth and the four notes once again spring from its beak.

'Rue used to sing that at the end of every day to let us know it was time to go home.' Ah.

'So how does this bird know it?'

'A Mockingjay. Replicates sounds and tunes it hears.' I've never heard of a mockingjay before. Sure, I've heard of a mocking_bird_, but not a jay. But wait, if these things replicate the sounds they hear… That means that sometime before Rue was killed, this "Mockingjay" was near enough to her to hear her sing.

Now it makes sense why Thresh is acting like it's Rue up on that branch, not a small bird. This could well be his last tie to her. The last thing in the arena that belongs to her, and it's a simple four note tune. The mockingjay sings the notes again and this time, Thresh sings them back, only an octave deeper. He's got quite a voice. I can imagine Gazzy driving everyone crazy by mimicking it over and over. That's a thought, maybe Gazzy's 2% avian DNA is from a mockingjay. They can both replicate sounds and their wings are a similar colour.

Glancing back over to Thresh, his head is bowed and his hand's over his heart just like last night at the fire when he said goodbye to Rue. But this time, he's not saying goodbye.

He's saying "Thank you".

His eyes are closed, but I can tell that this time, there are no tears. In fact, the barest hint of a small smile is flickering at the corners of his mouth. He straightens up again and now I can definitely tell that he's smiling. It's small, but it's there.

'She's safe,' he says.

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><p>The next few hours pass in a bit of a blur. After seeing the mockingjay, Thresh seems to have "woken up" slightly. He's still upset, that much is obvious. But he seems just a little more…relaxed. Like he's finally beginning to acknowledge that although Rue's dead, she's safe and (providing there's an afterlife) happy. But definitely safe.<p>

Before we know it, the light is leaking out of the sky and soon after it's officially night time, the music blares out. This time, I don't jump. There were no deaths today which is a relief. The music fades out and the seal of the Capitol vanishes.

'How many are left?' I asked. Thresh pauses, counting in his head.

'Six.' I nod and turn back to the fire we made earlier. Then the trumpets sound. Thresh looks up at the sky, frowning. Whatever this is, it's not normal. A man's voice booms into the arena.

'Greetings, remaining Tributes and congratulations on making it so far! I am here to announce a rule change to the Games. Under the new rule, if the last two surviving Tributes are from the same district, then both of them shall be crowned Victors.' Thresh's eyes betray his shock. The man repeats the rule change, then signs off and everything goes silent. I look over to Thresh who has mostly composed himself.

'I though you said there could only be one Victor,' I say.

'Not now, apparently,' he replies almost sadly. I don't blame him. If this rule change had come about just a couple of days earlier, Thresh would've gone to look for Rue and she might still be alive. Maybe.

'Why change?' I wonder out loud. From what I've heard, the Games are a source of entertainment for the people of the Capitol. The love watching the children kill each other in all sorts of horrible ways. So why introduce a rule that almost certainly guarantees less deaths?

'Twelve,' Thresh replies with certainty.

'Twelve?' I repeat, confused. He nods.

'Fire Girl and Fire Boy. They're in love.'

'So the Capitol wants them both to live because they're in love?'

'Seems so.'

'Why?' He shrugs. Neither of us can understand why a nation who crave blood, violence and death so much would give it up for love. There's silence between us for a few moments, then a thought strikes me.

'Are there any other Districts with both Tributes alive?'

'District 2.' His expression darkens just at the mention of the two careers. I remember him mentioning them now, what had he nicknamed them? Knife Girl and Monster Boy? Yes, that was it. They sound like just the sort of people I thought Thresh was when I first met him.

'_Peeta!_' Both of us jump up and whip around at the girl's voice, cutting through the air. The first thing I notice (other than what was said and the fact that a female said it) is the fact that it came from a long way away.

'Fire Girl,' Thresh says.

'Guess it's just clicked she and her boyfriend can live,' I agree, my eyes trained on the forest several hundred metres away as if I could see through the trees to where she is. I can't.

'She'll find him,' he says quietly, turning back to the fire and putting two more sticks on it. I look back down at him, hearing the unspoken phrase "And they'll win" in his voice.

'You still have a chance,' I tell him. He shakes his dark head, not looking away from the fire.

'Better twenty two deaths and I'm one of them than twenty three deaths and I'm alive.'

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><p><strong>I feel like I'm getting to know these two better with every chapter. Especially Thresh because I didn't know him as well as I knew Fang when I started this. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! I'll update soon after I get back (which is on Sunday). That's a promise.<strong>

**Until then, my friends, I bid you farewell.**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Crash Landing: Chapter 7**

**Argh! I haven't updated in over two weeks! I'm so sorry guys! I was away in Austria on that ski trip with my school until Saturday and then I had a lot of homework to catch up on and it was my Dad's birthday and my frined came ouver... There just hasn't been any time. But it's here now! I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nada.**

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><p>There's silence for a few long moments after I speak. Eventually, I glance up from the fire, then look back down again. Nick's giving me a very strange look. Even though I'm not looking at him anymore, I can feel his dark eyes on me.<p>

'You would rather two people live than just yourself?' he asks slowly. I nod. There's enough death in this world already. I don't want to die, of course I don't! But if my death means two people would live instead of just one, I'll take it. Nick falls silent again and after a moment, sits down on the other side of the fire to me. When I glance up, I see he's frowning into the flames.

The silence drags on between us. Somewhere, far away, a mockingjay sings goodnight to the world. I stand up. Nick looks up at me.

'Where are you going?' he asks.

'Sleep,' I reply gruffly. I haven't slept in over twenty four hours and I'm practically dead on my feet as a result. 'You should too.' He nods, then turns back to the fire. I head into my mini cave and grab my sleeping bag and unzipping down the side it so it's more like a thick blanket. This way, I'll have more freedom of movement. I curl up with my currently empty backpack acting as a pillow and pull the unzipped sleeping bag over me. The last thing I see is Nick's silhouette against the fire, his wings slightly unfurled and out to his sides, then I'm asleep.

I wake with the first breaks of dawn as always. For a few moments, I stare out to the grey lightening sky, framed by the black rocks of my mini cave. Then I push the bag off me and get up, stretching and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I feel a lot better than I did yesterday when I hadn't slept, but the dull ache that's been there since Rue was killed hasn't gone away. I doubt it ever will. Leaving the cave, I find Nick curled up by the smoking remains of the fire, still asleep.

As the sun rises, so does the temperature. I can feel it getting warmer and warmer and wonder if the Gamemakers are messing with the temperature. If they are, it's likely to get very hot. Pulling out two loaves of the grainy bread I've been making, I note that there are only three and a bit rolls left so I'll have to make some more later. When I turn around, Nick's standing right behind me and I jump, startled. He was asleep two minutes ago! He smirks.

'Morning.' I scowl.

'Don't creep up,' I tell him, annoyed. If I'd had a rock in my hand, I'd probably have swung at him. No one's tried to hunt me down in my field so far, but that doesn't mean they won't and that thought has me constantly on the edge. Nick grins slightly for a moment and his dark eyes light up, then the smile falls and his eyes flicker down to the bread in my hands. I hand one of them to him and he takes it with a nod of thanks.

We eat in silence, listening to the birds wake up around us. The temperature is still rising and both of us eventually give in and shrug out of our jackets, leaving me in my olive green t-shirt and him in his black one. I try not to stare at the scars on his arms. A lot of them look like…claw marks. But where could they have come from? A bear? A wolf? With his jacket off, I can see the slight bulge of Nick's wings more easily. Even so, it's only because I know they're there that I'm able to detect them.

After we've finished, I stand up.

'We're running out of bread,' I say.

'How do you get more?' he asks, standing up as well. I gesture to the field surrounding us. A lot of the grasses that grow here are wheat. Not all, but a lot.

'Make it.' Nick raises his eyebrows but says nothing. I grab the rock that's currently substituting for my weapon as I don't have any and walk off into the stalks. Whether Nick follows me or not is up to him and I have no preference either way. After a moment, I glance back and find that he is following me, but it's only by straining my ears that I can hear his footsteps. How does he move so quietly with so many things that could rustle around him?

I follow that path that I've pushed between the grasses many times before in my search for the right wheat plants. Now it's easy to follow and we reach the wheat in no time. I start breaking the stalks to collect the plants. It's not very neat or even as it would be back home where we have proper harvesting equipment, but it gets the job done and that's all I need. The stalks are tough and hard to break, you have to twist them in a certain way, but I learned this technique on my first day here so I know what to do. Nick however, doesn't, so I show him what to do and then both of us collect the wheat for about an hour until we have two large sheaves. Plenty.

We carry them back to my camp in the comfortable silence we've been working in. Neither of us are big talkers so this is fine with both of us. I listen to the birds around us, identifying them by their calls in my mind. Whenever I hear a mockingjay, I find myself smiling, although the ache from Rue's death twists inside me.

'So, are you going to show me how to make this stuff?' Nick asks.

'If you want to learn,' I reply. It's not very hard, but it does produce food, which, in this place; is invaluable.

'Sure. Who knows when I'll next get stuck in a wheat field and need to make my own food.' I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not, but he shouldn't be. I'd have struggled a lot more if I didn't know how to make this bread as it's my main food source.

When we get back to camp, we dump the sheaves in a pile by the rock formation, but just before I got in, Nick nudges me and points to something.

There's a footprint in the earth by the fire.

It's far too small and light to be mine or Nick's, I could almost mistake it for Rue's, but it's a little too big and anyway, Rue is… So who could it be?

I run through the Tributes who are still alive in my mind in my mind.

It can't be Monster Boy or Fire Boy because it's too small. Knife Girl would be lying in wait and would've attacked us already if it was hers and Fire Girl will be either with Fire Boy or they're still looking for each other. In any case, they won't be here.

That just leaves Fox Girl. The sly girl from Five.

Almost as soon as this conclusion has entered my mind, a flash of red streaks out of the mini cave. She's still here! Automatically, I reach out for her, but my hands close on empty air.

Nick's however; do not.

Fox Girl lets out a sharp squeal as Nick catches her by the arm, steadies her for a moment and then spins her to me. I know why. Confrontation between two Tributes, the cameras will undoubtedly be on us now. Nick has to make himself scarce. My arms wrap around Fox Girl, holding her tightly. She struggles against me, but I only tighten my grip on her.

'You were stealing,' I say, lowering my head slightly.

'Who was that other boy?' she demands, still struggling.

'No other boy,' I tell her, keeping a firm hold of her. 'Just me.'

'I saw him!'

'You were stealing!' I snap, trying to get the topic off Nick. She flinches at my harsh tone and a flicker of fear passes through her eyes for a second.

'I'm so hungry,' she tells me, her green eyes darting from side to side in desperation. 'After Katniss blew the food up, there's hardly been anything to eat.' So that must've been the big explosion I heard just before the death of the boy from District three.

I'm angry with Fox Girl. Not because she was stealing my food, although that is a small part of the reason. No, I'm angry because she's got me in a position I'd hoped I wouldn't ever have to be in. She's trapped in my arms with no way to escape and everyone expects me to kill her. If she were a Career, it'd be different, they'd fight back; but I can see she doesn't even have knife. I don't want to kill her, but I can't just let her go. Not when there are so few of us left.

What should I do?

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><p><strong>And, there you have it. So, what's Thresh gonna do? Will he kill her or will she survive through one way or another. And the feast is approaching... Hopefully the announcement will be included in the next chapter.<strong>

**Please leave a contribution in the little box. :D**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Crash Landing: Chapter 8**

**Hello people! I'm sorry it's been just over a week since I updated, I've been caught up with school and stuff. Loads of exams coming up so there's a lot of revision going on. :P**

**Anyway, here's chapter 8. What's going to happen to Foxface?**

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><p>It's about noon when we get back to camp with our haul of wheat. I personally can't see how Thresh has managed to turn this stuff into the bread we've been eating, but really, it can't have come from anywhere else.<p>

But when we arrive, I immediately know something's wrong. Three people are breathing. I may not have the almost-scarily-good hearing Iggy has, but my hearing is a lot better than a normal person's. The third breather is panting slightly, their breath coming in short bursts as if they've been running for a long time or are panicking. I look around, trying to seem oblivious, trying to find the source.

Then I see it. The footprint.

Jus as Thresh is about to enter the cave, the breathing hitches and I'm suddenly certain that that's where the person's hiding. I tap Thresh's shoulder with my free hand and when he turns to me, I gesture to the footprint. His dark eyes widen for a second, then narrow as he tries to work out who it belongs to.

A split second after realisation crosses his face, a teenage girl with a shock of fiery red hair darts out of the cave. Thresh lunges for her, but misses. Acting on instinct, I reach out and grab her arm just as she passes me.

Now we're in trouble. No doubt, the cameras will now be on this spectacle, hoping to see some action. Which means they could see me. Without thinking, I push the girl into Thresh and dash behind the rock formation, keeping still until I blend into the background. From here, I watch Thresh's strong arms come around her, holding her prisoner, despite her struggles.

'You were stealing,' he says, his voice low and dangerous.

'Who was that other boy?' she gasps, her eyes darting around, trying to find me. I freeze, even though know she can't see me.

'No other boy. Just me,' Thresh replies.

'I saw him!' she exclaims.

'You were stealing!' he repeats, his tone hard. Fear crosses her foxy features.

'I'm so hungry!' she says desperately. 'After Katniss blew up the food, there's hardly been anything to eat.' Katniss? Must be one of the other Tributes. A scowl sets over Thresh's features and I can tell he's thinking very hard. He can't just let this girl go, at this point in the Games, that's completely out of the question. But he's made it very clear that he doesn't want to kill anyone. He's trapped in a dilemma and it's me who got him stuck there.

I'm such an idiot.

I should've just let the girl get away. Now not only does Thresh face an impossible situation, but she knows about me as well. I just hope the cameras didn't catch sight of me as well.

'Please,' the girl whispers. 'If you're going to kill me, just get on with it.' Thresh's scowl deepens and conflicting emotions flicker across his face as he tries to think of a way out of this. His muscles tighten around the red headed girl and she lets out a small gasp. For a moment, I wonder if he'll actually kill her.

No.

I can't let that happen. I got Thresh and the girl into this mess, somehow, I have to get them out. My eyes scan the surrounding area for something, anything I can use. My gaze settles on a pile of rocks near the main rock formation that's been our camp. Each rock is about the size of my palm. Perfect. I silently slip over to them and pick up the first one, weighing it in my hand. Then I lob it in Thresh's direction. As soon as it's in the air, I grab the next rock and throw that as well. There's about thirty rocks and I throw all of them (not too hard) in quick succession towards the two Tributes.

As expected and as I'd hoped, Thresh's self preservation kicks in and he lets go of the girl to bring his arms up to shield himself from the bombardment. The girl instantly darts out of his reach, her own, thin arms covering her head as she runs away from the boy who nearly caused her untimely death.

I eventually run out of rocks, but by that time, the foxy girl has long since disappeared from sight. Thresh uncovers his head and looks around at the scattered rocks lying around him. Then he turns and looks in the direction the girl has run. I can just imagine the people at the Capitol, yelling at the screen for him to go after her. To chase her down and finish off the job he so nearly completed.

But he won't.

I stay hidden for another ten minutes, in case the cameras are still on him, waiting for him to make a move. In those ten minutes, Thresh picks up all the rocks and stacks them in a pile near the mouth of the mini cave. No doubt he'll use them as weapons if it comes to that. He said he wouldn't kill anyone, but he doesn't strike me as the type to go down without a fight.

Once he's finished that, he turns to the wheat we spent all morning gathering and I watch him as he pulls the grains off each stalk and drops them into a wooden bowl. He keeps doing this, one stalk of wheat at a time, seeming determined to make this job last as long as possible.

Ten minutes later, I finally decide that it's safe to come out. I step out from behind the rocks, letting my invisibility drop away. Thresh turns his head slightly at my appearance and nods once in acknowledgement before turning back to his task.

'Hey,' I say quietly, walking over to him. 'You ok?'

'Fine,' he replies. But he's not. His shoulders are tight, his eyes are too focused on his hands and more than once, he snaps the stalk he's working on.

'You didn't kill her,' I remind him. He doesn't reply. 'Thresh?'

'What?' he snaps, finally turning to me. I hold my ground.

'You don't have to be so tightly wound. She's alive, she's safe. You didn't kill her.'

'But would I have?' he asks. 'If you hadn't thrown those rocks, would I have killed her?'

'How do you know I…?' I begin.

'Rocks don't fall sideways,' he cuts me off bluntly. I run my hand through my black hair, frowning when it one of my fingers gets caught on a snarl halfway.

'I don't think you'd have killed her,' I tell him.

'You don't know that,' he whispers.

'No, and you don't know what you'd have done either,' I reply. 'The important thing is that you didn't kill her.' There are the conflicting emotions running across his face again.

We both stand there in silence, staring at the other for a good two or three minutes. Eventually, Thresh lets out a long sigh and rubs the back of his neck with his calloused hand.

'I guess you're right,' he agrees quietly. I nod. He turns away from me, back to the cave and the wheat, but then he stops and turns back.

'Thank you.'

'For what?' I ask, confused.

'For not letting me kill her.' I let a small, half smile lift my lips up for a moment.

'You're welcome.' He turns away again and heads into the mini cave, coming out with the water container. He takes a long drink, then offers it to me. I take a swig myself, then realise that the container's nearly empty.

'We need to refill this,' I say. Thresh holds his hand out and I hand the container back to him. Without a word, he walks off into the grasses, down a path he's obviously pushed through the stems before, There must be a stream running through the field somewhere. After a moment's hesitation, I follow him. Who knows, maybe we'll run into someone else and he'll need me to stop him killing them again.

We walk in silence for about fifteen or twenty minutes. The temperature is insanely high by now, and in my usual black ensemble, it's hell. But I grit my teeth and bare it because I can see that Thresh's t-shirt is soaked with sweat as well.

Twenty minutes later, Thresh stops so suddenly, I almost bump into him.

'Hey!' I complain, taking a quick step back. 'A little warning next time.' He doesn't reply. Is this still about the girl? We can't be at the stream, there's no sound of running water.

'Oh no,' Thresh whispers.

'What's wrong?' I ask, stepping around him so I'm standing next to him. For a moment, I'm confused, but then I see it.

A narrow channel running through the tall grass stalks. The obvious path of a stream. Thresh's path through the stalks goes no further, this must be where he has been getting his water from.

And it's bone dry.

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><p><strong>Dun dun DUN! So, this is basically a build up to the Feast. I couldn't think of anything good to put in Thresh's backapck, so I figured this would work and then have water as the thing he needs. Good idea? Not? Tell me what you think. Please?<strong>

**~EndlesMidnightSky~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Crash Landing: Chapter 9**

**Hey guys! I'm sorry it's taken so long. I'm entering my end of yeas exams so there's tons of homework to be done. Hopefully this extra long chapter (with a guest appearance of the rest of the flock) will make up for my late update.**

**Green Nook, the first part of this chapter is for you since you wanted to know how the flock are doing. :)**

**Anon, I have put in the POVs for you so hopefully it will be less confusing.**

**Hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own neither the flock nor the Hunger Games.**

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><p>Max POV<p>

It's been three days and two nights since Fang vanished. And when I say "vanished", I literally mean he was flying with us one minute, then there was a slight buzzing noise and he'd disappeared. When we'd tried to fly down to see if he'd gotten lost in a cloud or something, something had repelled us like we'd flown into a see through wall or something. We'd tried several times to get through it, but just ended up with bruises for our troubles. Eventually, I'd let Iggy and Gazzy drop one of their bombs onto it. For a split second after the explosion, the air around it seemed to shimmer like sunlight on the water, but then it was gone and when we tried to fly through again, we still got hit back out. That had been almost three days ago and he's still missing.

'Max, stop pacing,' Nudge says. We're camping out in a forest about twenty miles from where we lost Fang. Why so far away, you ask? Because the invisible wall didn't stop before hand. I'm trying to stay calm for the rest of the flock members, but with every minute that passes, I feel more and more worried.

What could have happened to him? Where could he have gone? What's the strange invisible force field? Is Fang on the other side? So many questions and absolutely no answers. I plonk myself down on a log next to Angel and across the fire from Iggy, Gazzy and Nudge.

'Sorry, guys,' I say. 'I'm just trying to figure out a new plan.'

'A plan to find Fang or a plan to get through the force field thing?' Gazzy asks.

'Either,' I reply. 'I think that if we ca get through the force field, we'll find Fang.'

'But if we can't get through the force field, how could Fang have done so?' Iggy asks, poking the fire with a stick, sending hundreds of sparks shooting up into the night sky.

'I don't know,' I admit after a moment. 'But he's on the other side. I'm sure of it.'

'Voice?'

'No. Max Instinct.' The Voice has been mercifully silent for the last few weeks. Iggy pokes the fire again. The flock doesn't question Max Instinct. It's gotten us out of a hell of a lot of sticky situations so we've all come to trust it.

'Why do you think the force-field's there?' Nudge asks. 'I mean, there's got to be a reason. They wouldn't just put a random force field in the middle of nowhere if there wasn't something they needed kept inside.'

'Good point,' I agree. 'And we know that force field's pretty damn big, so whatever's inside must be important or else it takes up a lot of space.' For those of you who may be wondering; No, we can't see through the force field. It's like trying to look through a rain cloud, grey and murky.

'And I wonder who put it there,' Angel, who'd been quiet for some time, says. 'Do you think it was the School?' The dreaded thought had crossed my mind more than once.

'I don't know, sweetie,' I admit after a moment. 'It could be. I mean, they've got the right sort of technology for it, but we won't know until we get inside.' And we have to get inside. Fang's in there and who knows what else.

We have to get him back.

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><p>Fang POV<p>

It's been a day since the incident with the foxy girl and since we found the water supply dried up. After we found the dry stream bed, we spent the rest of the day trying to find another water source but came back empty handed. Thresh and I have rationed what's left of the water to a minimal amount, but we're both beginning to feel the effects of dehydration. On the plus side, we've now got plenty of bread that Thresh from the wheat we harvested, but we both know that lack of water kills faster than lack of food. Right now, we're both in the shade, trying to conserve as much water as possible.

Thresh isn't doing so good. He came down with a throbbing headache a couple of hours ago and it's only getting worse as time goes on. He says he's fine, but I can tell that what with what happened with the girl, along with the shortage of water and death of his friend, Rue and the whole situation of the Hunger Games; it's getting a bit much for him. There's only so much a guy can take and Thresh is reaching his breaking point.

I'm worried about him.

When Max came back after being with Dr Martinez and Ella for the first time when we were going to rescue Angel, I didn't understand how she could've opened up to them so much so fast. But I think I'm beginning to understand now.

Not that either of us will say it out loud, but Thresh and I are becoming friends. I can't help but notice the similarities between the two of us. We're both prime examples of "strong and silent" and we've both suffered throughout our lives because of people who treat us badly. In his case, the Capitol, in my case, the School. He knows a bit about that now. The basic idea of why I'm 2% avian, but I didn't go into details and he hasn't either. We don't need to. He's seen the claw marks on my arm and I've seen the scars on his back which could only have come from a whip.

A piece of bread waves in front of my nose.

'Hungry?' Thresh asks. He's sitting up now, offering me the grainy bread. I take it with a nod of thanks and tear of a hunk with my teeth.

'How's your headache?' I ask once I've swallowed my mouthful.

'Better now the heat's gone,' he replies.

'Is it gone completely?'

'Yes.'

'Liar.' He rolls his dark eyes and takes another bite out of his own bread. We're getting the hang of telling when the other is lying. It's not anywhere near as good as what I can read in Max's eyes, but for only knowing each other for a few days, it's pretty good.

We finish the bread and share a tiny ration of water, carefully trickling a small stream of the cool stuff into our mouths. It's not nearly enough, but it does give some small amount of relief. As usual, I'm still hungry and I'm just reaching for another loaf of bread when the trumpets sound. The same ones that came just before it was announced that two people could win. Thresh pushes himself up into a sitting position to listen.

'Greetings, surviving Tributes of the 74th Hunger Games. I am here to invite you all to a feast.'

'Knew it,' Thresh mutters. I'm about to ask him what he means, but the announcer isn't done.

'Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this will be no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately. Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number at the cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance.' The trumpets sound again and then everything falls silent.

Thresh looks at me and I look at him. We don't need to say it. The only thing Thresh needs desperately is water.

'I'm coming with you,' I say. He shakes his head.

'Cameras everywhere and it's too dangerous,' he says.

'Everyone's going to be there. How are you going to get your pack and get out of there alive?'

'I'll think of something. Knife Girl and Monster Boy will go after the Fires. I can get it while they're fighting.' I don't like this. I really don't like this. It reminds me of an experiment at the school when they dropped Max, Iggy and I into a sealed off maze along with a bunch of Erasers to see how long we lasted.

'You could die.'

'Yes. But only could and only me. But _both_ of us _will _die if I don't go.' I grit my teeth, glaring at the ground because he's right and I don't want him to be.

'I'm going and you're not,' he says with a tone of finality. I glare at him and he stares straight back. 'You have to get back to your family.' I look away. Of course he would bring up the one thing that could sway me. The flock.

'Fine,' I finally agree. 'But if your ass doesn't get back here alive, I'll die myself and then yell at you forever in the afterlife.'

'Deal,' he agrees with a small smile at my mini tantrum. I huff and lean back against the rocks.

The sun finally begins to set and the temperature drops with it. I breathe a small sigh of relief. In the blistering sun, even the shaded areas were too hot for my liking. This is better. I'm sure it will soon become freezing, but right now, I don't care. I'm just glad the heat's gone.

The Sun continues to set and once it's almost completely gone, the Capitol anthem blares out across the arena. Thresh pushes himself up and out of the cave to see if anyone's died, but no one has. We'd have heard a cannon if they had.

'Get some sleep,' I tell when he comes back in. 'You're going to need it.' He nods and settles down, pulling the sleeping bag over him and using his backpack as a pillow.

'Night, Nick,' he says, closing his eyes.

'Fang,' I correct him on impulse. He opens his eyes and looks up at me questioningly. 'My name's Fang.' A slow smile spreads across his face. This gesture of trust clearly means a lot to him. What can I say? He could die tomorrow, although I hope to hell that he won't. But if he does, I want him to know who I really am. I owe him that much.

'Night, Fang,' he says, settling down again.

'Night, Thresh,' I reply, curling up on the other side of the cave.

When I wake up in the morning, he's already gone.

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><p><strong>Tada! I think we all know what's going to happen in the next chapter (which will be from Thresh's POV). The Feast! Dun dun DUN! Stay tuned to find out more and hopefully I'll get the chapter up sooner than this one.<strong>

**Please leave a contribution in the little box. Even a small one makes a huge difference!**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Crash Landing: Chapter 10**

**Hey guys! It's the Feast scene! The chapter you've all been waiting for and it's extra long specially for you! I hope I did it justice and I hope you like my interpretaion of Thresh's side. If you can call it my interpretation... Thresh hijacked the keyboard and refused to give it back until he'd finished writing the chapter. Hopefully some of you writers will know what I mean or else I'm gonna feel crazy. Whatever, enjoy the chapter!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: If I owned MR, Fax would prevail and if I owned HG, Finn, Annie and baby would be living happily in D4.  
><strong>

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><p>I wake up and quietly leave before the Sun rises. Partially because the feast is at dawn and I don't want to risk anyone stealing my backpack containing the precious water, but also so I can get out before Nick… Sorry, Fang wakes up and changes his mind about staying behind. If I do die at the feast, I hope he finds a way to get out of here and back to his "flock". It hasn't been said, but we're friends now. If anything, that was proven last night when he told me his real name. I just wish there was something I could give him in return, but he already knows my name. I guess I could not die and bring the water back, that'll stop us dying from dehydration. But it's not enough. He needs to get out of this arena. He doesn't belong here, even less so than the rest of us. If I make it back from the feast, we'll figure something out. Maybe he can follow the hovercraft out as it takes the victor(s) out. But one way or another, Fang is leaving this nightmare alive.<p>

Just before I leave, I grab a piece of grainy bread to eat on the way and a rock about the same size in case I need a weapon. I don't have a proper weapon, so I'm hoping it won't come down to that because I'll only have the rock and my strength on my side. There hasn't been a death for a few days, but that'll change today. Tonight, there will be at least one face in the sky. I know from years of watching the Games that feasts always result in deaths.

I jog through the tall grasses, following the paths I've pushed through the stems before. The whole field is covered in a network of paths I've created, leading me from one place to another. This one leads me out of the field and it's only been used once. When I first came into the field.

The sky's just beginning to turn from midnight black to soft, morning grey when I emerge from the cover of the field and out into the open plain, a hundred metres or so from the forest. I quickly run into the shelter of the trees and begin to carefully make my way towards the cornucopia, making sure not to step on any twigs that could alert others to my presence. My eyes are constantly flicking from side to side at every stray noise and even when there's silence, checking for Tributes or traps. You can never be too careful in the Hunger Games.

After about five or ten minutes, the cornucopia's clearing comes into sight. I keep walking to the edge of the trees until I'm about three metres from where the trees stop and the clearing begins. I thoroughly scan the surrounding forest several times, but there's no sign of the others. Either I'm the first here, or they're just out of sight. I keep checking behind me as well. Many a Tribute lost their lives because they forgot to check behind them.

This is a good place to wait. I'm well hidden, but I could see an approaching attack and I have a god view of the cornuco… Something's in there. Just for a split second, something moved inside the cornucopia. I squint in the diminishing darkness, trying to make it out. Has the Capitol hidden a mutt in there to attack the Tributes when we go in to collect our backpacks? I wouldn't put it past them. One year, all the food at the feast was poisonous except one dish. As my eyes adjust to the darkness in the giant horn, I can _just_ make out a figure huddled near the back. If it is a mutt, it's a very small, skinny one. I'm just running through all the mutts I know in my mind, trying to work out which it is when I catch a flash of red hair.

Fox Girl!

Damn, she's smart! Hiding in the cornucopia, that's very clever. I have to admit, I'm impressed with the girl's wits. Now she'll be able to get her backpack easily and only has to worry about getting away from the feast. And she's fast. As long as she doesn't accidentally run into Knife Girl, Monster Boy or either of the Fires when she's fleeing, she should survive. Would the Fire's kill her? Possibly. They'll be trying as hard as they can to win now that they have a chance of both going home.

By the time all this has passed through my mind, Fox Girl has slunk to the back of the cornucopia, waiting for the dawn, which is very soon now. I finish the bread I brought with me as the sky turns a pearly grey colour, tinged with purple and blue. Light is appearing on the other side of the clearing from me where the sun will make its entrance into the sky. I scan the trees one last time for the Careers or the Fires, but none of them are in sight.

The sun peaks over the tops of the trees and the first rays reflect off the giant golden horn in the centre of the clearing.

Almost immediately, a large crack appears in the ground in front of the cornucopia. I take a step back. Is this another Gamemaker trick? Is that crack going to widen and lengthen and threaten all of us? But no, it's stopped and now the ground seems to be peeling back on itself and a table with a white cloth and four backpacks on it rises into the arena. My eyes instantly land on the large, black backpack marked with the number 11. _That's mine_, I think to myself. The table cloth bugs me. Are they mocking us with their wealth? Or making sure that the blood that's sure to be spilt can be seen easily? Either way, it's sick.

The table has barely stopped rising from the underground when Fox Girl bounds out of the cornucopia, grabs the medium size green backpack and sprints off into the forest about thirty metres to my right. I watch her disappear into the foliage with no desire to chase after her. Doing so would be a waste of time and give the others the chance to take my bag and in any case, I don't want to kill her.

I turn back to the cornucopia just in time to see a figure run out of the trees cover on the other side clearing. It's too short for Monster Boy and has dark hair so it's not Fire Boy. Whoever it is has a bow in their hand and a quiver of arrows on their back. Knife Girl seems unlikely to be carrying these weapons, so I guess it's Fire Girl. Is this how she got her eleven in training? Archery? Just as I come to this conclusion, another figure appears just twenty metres down from me. Knife Girl. So the first girl is definitely Fire Girl. She's almost at the cornucopia when Knife Girl sends a knife in her direction, but Fire Girl senses the danger and knocks it aside with her bow. She snatches an arrow from her quiver and fires it with deadly accuracy at Knife Girl, but Knife Girl turns just in time and the arrow only strikes her arm.

As Knife Girl stops to pull the arrow out, Fire Girl reaches the cornucopia. Her fingers reach out and for one awful moment, I think she's going to take my backpack which is right next to hers. But no, she ignores my bag, grabs her own one and slips the straps around her wrist. But she doesn't see what I see. Knife Girl has recovered from her wound and is pulling out a second knife. As Fire Girl turns to flee the scene, Knife Girl releases the knife. It catches Fire Girl in the head and she stumbles back. I take two steps forward, nearly out of the trees now. Is she dead? Has Knife Girl killed her? No! She's alive! She desperately shoots another arrow at Knife Girl who's now running towards her, but it misses by a mile and she's defenceless as Knife Girl slams into her, sending them both to the ground.

Within moments, Knife Girl has Fire Girl pinned under her and even from this distance, I can see the sadistic grin on her lips. Her mouth is moving, but I can't make out the words.

'Peeta!' Fire Girl suddenly yells. My eyes dart around, expecting the blond haired boy to come rushing to his love's rescue…but he doesn't appear. Where is he? Isn't he going to help her? Knife Girl punches Fire Girl in the throat and I flinch involuntarily, knowing how painful that is. That's when it hits me. Fire Boy's wounded. There's no other explanation as to why he wouldn't be trying to help Fire Girl.

I've got to get my pack.

Fox Girl's been and gone, Knife Girl and Fire Girl are occupied and Fire Boy's probably not here if he's wounded. That leaves just Monster Boy to worry about. I've got to go now, if I wait, Knife Girl will kill Fire Girl, or the other way round and then I'll have more people to deal with.

Not stopping to rethink, I run out of the trees and sprint towards the cornucopia, going around the horn so Knife Girl won't see me. Now that I'm closer, I can catch snippets of their conversation. Or more like Knife Girl's monologue.

'…have you, I'd give the audience a good show.' Sick. How could anyone want to kill someone like that? How could anyone want to kill someone at all? I'm almost at the table now. The black backpack with the life saving water just a few metres away.

'Forget it, District 12! We're gonna kill you. Just like we did your pathetic little ally.'

The words stop me in my tracks more effectively than any weapon ever could. "Little ally". There's only one person she could be referring to.

'What was her name?' Knife Girl continues. 'The one who hopped around in the trees?' I squeeze my eyes tightly shut as if doing so could block out the cruel words. Memories of her laughing and leaping through the branches flash through my mind, then are replaced with the image of her face in the sky. Please don't say it. Please don't confirm what I already know.

'Rue?' _No!_ 'Well, first Rue, then you…' I can't hear any more. I can't speak, I can't move. I'm frozen just as I was when I saw the projection of Rue's face, heralding her death. A wave of rage, pain, sadness and anger hits me so hard, it knocks the breath out of me. This girl killed Rue! This monster murdered an innocent twelve year old who had never done anything to deserve it. When my eyes snap open, everything has a red tinge. Never in my whole wretched seventeen years have I felt this angry.

'Let's get started.' The words jolt me back to the arena. Knife Girl killed Rue. My best friend. The rock in my hand suddenly feels far more solid than it did before. Backpack forgotten, Fang forgotten, everything forgotten, I stride around to the side of the cornucopia just as Knife Girl begins to cut open Fire Girl's lip. For a moment, my sight distorts and suddenly it's not Fire Girl being cut up… It's Rue.

I snap.

My free hand reaches down and hauls Knife Girl off Rue. She weighs nothing in my grip, even when she starts screaming and thrashing. For a moment, her wild eyes lock with mine and I watch as her expression goes from shock to pure terror. I throw her down hard onto the ground with no more effort than if she were an empty sack. My fingers tighten around the rock in my hand as I tower over her, consumed by anger and rage practically radiating off me.

'What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?' I shout. Knife Girl scrambles back desperately, but she's too shocked to get to her feet.

'No!' she cries. 'No, it wasn't me!' Liar as well as a murderer.

'You said her name. I heard you! You kill her?' The glimmer of the discarded knife forces a horrible thought into my mind. 'You cut her up like you were going to cut up this girl here?'

'No! No, I…' She stops mid-sentence as her eyes catch sight of the rock in my hand and her eyes widen in fear.

'Cato!' she screeches at the top of her lungs. '_Cato!_'

'Clove!' Monster Boy's panicked reply comes from far away. Too far away. I grab Knife Girl, Clove by her jacket and force her up again. Raising my arm with the rock, I watch as her lips part to scream again, then I bring the rock down against her skull with all my might. Instantly, she falls limp in my hand. I drop her and she collapses onto the earth. A dying moan escapes her lips, but she won't live for much longer, I can see the dent in her skull. The dent I caused.

Pushing the thought from my mind, I whip around to face Fire Girl who's been watching the whole scene with wide, terrified eyes. Blood is running down her face from where the knife cut her forehead and the rock in my hand is still raised, ready to use again if I have to. Her smoky grey eyes lock with my dark, gold flecked ones. "Your pathetic little ally". Clove's words flicker through my mind. Did Fire Girl and Rue ally before she was killed?

'What'd she mean, about Rue being your ally?' I demand.

'I…I… We teamed up,' she stammers, clearly afraid of me. 'Blew up the supplies. I tried to save her, I did… But he got there first. District One.' A ripple of guilt runs through me. Knife Girl didn't kill Rue. It was someone else. I killed the wrong person.

_But she would've killed her if given the chance._

'And you killed him?' I ask. I have to know if Rue's murderer is dead.

'Yes, I killed him,' she replies, her expression hardens at the memory. 'And buried her in flowers and I sang her to sleep.' She barely whispers the last few words and as she does so, her hard expression drops and tears fill her grey eyes.

'To sleep?' I repeat, the anger slowly leaching out of me.

'To death. I sang until she died.' I swallow. Just before the Games, Rue told me that when she died, she wanted someone to sing for her one last time.

'Your district…they sent me bread.' That catches me off guard. We're one of the poorer districts, if not the poorest. A simple sponsor gift like bread would've cost several people a week's wages. And yet they gave it up for this girl. To thank her for trying to save Rue. Fire girl sniffs and wipes her nose, her head lowered.

'Do it fast, ok, Thresh?' And that's when I realise that I can't kill her. This girl, who is clearly capable of killing, allied herself with tiny Rue; befriending her, looking after her, and in the end; trying to save her. To kill her now would undo all the kindness she showed Rue and would also show that I cared nothing for either of them. That I didn't respect my district partner. No. That won't happen. I owe Rue Fire Girl's life and I owe Fire Girl for trying to save Rue's. My arm lowers and my other rises to point at her.

'Just this one time, I let you go,' I tell her. She blinks up at me in surprise. 'For the little girl. You and me, we're even then. No more owed. You understand?' She nods silently and I can see in her eyes that she does understand. That this is my way of repaying her, of thanking her for what she did.

'Clove!' Monster Boy. He's much closer now, his voice filled with pain. Another stab of guilt shoots through me. Fire Girl turns her head towards the sound, then to Knife Girl who is still gripping to life, then finally back up to me.

'You better run now, Fire Girl,' I tell her quietly. She doesn't hesitate and scrambles to her feet, sprinting away across the clearing in the opposite direction of where Monster Boy's voice is coming from. I'm about to leave as well, when I remember the very reason I came here in the first place. Wheeling around, I grab my pack and hoist it up onto my back. Then I hesitate.

Only the District 2 bag is left on the table and inside is the thing Monster Boy and Knife Girl need most. If Monster Boy was to lose that something, it would put him at a serious disadvantage and now that Fire Girl has what she needs, her chance of winning along with Fire Boy would be much higher. I grab the District 2 backpack and sling it up with my own just as Monster Boy bursts out of the trees. I turn on my heel and race away from him, thinking he'll throw the spear he's clutching. But instead he makes a beeline for his district partner and collapses next to her. I don't stop running when I hit the trees, weaving between them as fast as I can.

The cannon sounds.

Now I'm in trouble. I have Monster Boy's backpack and I killed his ally. Though he has a grudge against Fire Girl for scoring higher than him and outshining him in the Parade, there's no way he's going after her now. I reach the end of the forest, but I don't stop running as I get to my field. I run along the perimeter until I find the path I created and rush into the tall stems.

I killed Knife Girl…no, Clove. The image of her with her skull smashed in fills my mind, accompanied by the guilt I know I can't escape no matter how fast or long I run. I took a life. The wrong life. I thought she killed Rue, but she hadn't. She was innocent of the crime I convicted her for. Even though she has taken other lives, she was still a human being herself. And I killed her.

Monster Boy will be hunting me now. Fire Girl will be the last thing on his mind because what he's after now is far stronger than any grudge he could hold against her. Revenge. Revenge for killing Clove, revenge for taking his pack. As I run blindly through the tall grass, I know he won't stop until he's found me. And he will find me. I can't hide from him forever. It may take hours, it may take days; but eventually, he will track me down.

And when he does, I will die.

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><p><strong>Wow, Thresh. That was... I wasn't expecting that. What did you guys think? Love it, hate it? Please tell me and yes, that means all of you. I know the vast majority of you aren't, but please do. Just for this chapter. It doesn't take long and it really makes my day (which I could do with. Damn exams...).<strong>

**Thank you**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Crash Landing: Chapter 11**

**Hey guys! I'm sorry it took so long, I've been completely swamped with exams. Fortunately most of them are over now so I've just got Maths, R.E and Chemistry to do after the half term holiday and then GCSEs are OVER! WHOO!  
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**Anyway, hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

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><p>I'm not one to pace, that title goes to Max who can pace dents into rocks if she's anxious enough. Instead, I make myself useful by trying to make the grainy bread like Thresh showed me two days ago. The sun slips over the edge of the horizon and I know that the feast will be starting now. I turn away from where Thresh pointed out to be the direction of the cornucopia, not wanting to risk hearing anything, although I doubt even my ears could pick up whatever drama is unfurling out there.<p>

My bread's not turning out well. It's somehow become a kind of lump that would be more useful as a basketball than anything to eat. Do they play basketball here in… Pamen was it? Or Panem? Judging from what Thresh has told me, somehow I doubt anyone in the districts has time for basketball. Squinting, I look up at the sun to check the time. Dawn was about half an hour ago. How long do feasts normally last in the Hunger Games? Minutes? Hours? I guess that with something like that, which is bound to turn violent, it depends on too many factors to be able to set an average time. I just hope Thresh comes back alive.

What if he doesn't?

What if he comes back with a fatal injury we can't treat because of his lack of medical kit? The flock always carries at least one Medical kit between us because we all get hurt so often. If either Thresh or I get hurt, the best bandages we'd get would be if we ripped up our t-shirts.

The booming cannon echoes through the still air and my head snaps up, automatically scanning the area for threats. The "bread" I was making rolls out of my hand and ends up in the dead fireplace but I ignore it. Who was that? Who just died? Was it Thresh? Fox Girl? Or one of the others? Who killed them? All these questions flit through my mind before the echo has even died away.

I'm tense now. Even though I'm not showing it, I'm worried because someone has died for certain and there's a one in six chance that it's my only friend here. I look towards the area Thresh pointed out to be where the cornucopia was to see if the hovercraft collecting the body would give me any indication as to who it was. But no hovercraft appears.

Then I hear the footsteps. Loud, heavy and moving fast in my direction. I move nearer the pile of rocks and pick one up, my long fingers closing around it tightly. Then I stand completely still until I fade into the background. The running footsteps are almost at the camp now and my muscles coil, ready to jump into action at a second's notice if I have to.

Then Thresh bursts into the clearing as if all the Erasers ever made are after him.

Relief surges through me. He's alive, he made it out ok and he's got the water; I can see the large black backpack with the number eleven on his back. And another one… With the number two…

'Thresh,' I say, dropping my rock and stepping towards him, letting my invisibility fall away. He whirls around on me with his rock raised, his eyes wide, breathing hard from running. I put my hands up in the universal "calm down" gesture.

'Easy man, it's just me,' I say. He relaxes slightly and lowers the rock, but didn't let go of it. His dark knuckles are pale with the force he's gripping it with.

'I got the water,' he says, his voice shaking slightly. I frown. Something's happened. Thresh turns away from me and slides the two packs off his back, hesitantly putting his rock down and opening the pack marked 11 to pull out two large bottles of water. He tosses one to me and opens the other himself. I open the bottle and take a long swig, relishing in the coldness of the liquid and see Thresh do the same. But we don't drink too much. Who knows how long these things will have to last us.

'Why did you take the District Two backpack?' I ask once we've put the water bottles in the shade so they won't warm up. Thresh looks down at the unopened black pack, then at his own.

'So they don't have it.' I roll my eyes. That much was obvious, he was preventing them from getting the thing they needed most. But I wanted to know _why_ he'd done it. Surely by taking it, he'd put himself in danger because they'd come after him to get it back.

'Why?'

'Gives Twelve a better chance,' he replies quietly. He slumps down against the side of the cave, his shoulders hunched, his rock back in his grip. I head over towards him and sit down next to him. Although his breathing rate has pretty much returned to normal after his run, he's shaking slightly and there's a strange, hollow look in his eyes.

That's when I see the blood on the rock.

'Thresh, what happened?' I demand. He looks up at me, then quickly away, down at the earth.

'I… I thought she… She said… Mentioned Rue… I thought…' he trails off.

'Who did?' I ask.

'Clove.' Who's Clove? 'Knife Girl. From Two.' Oh.

'Ok, say it again. What did she do?' Thresh closes his eyes.

'She had Fire Girl pinned down and…she was taunting her. Said she'd kill her like they killed her ally… Rue.' The pain in his voice is obvious and I'm not surprised. Rue's death hit him hard, having to hear someone talk about it as if it were a joke… I try to imagine if one of the flock had been killed and the killer was taunting us about it. The mere concept makes me angry.

'Fire Girl allied with Rue?' I ask. He nods. 'So what happened?' He grits his teeth.

'I got angry,' he whispered. 'That Clove was gloating about Rue's death… I got so angry, I couldn't control it.'

'What did you do?' But even as the words leave my mouth, somehow, I already know the answer. He squeezes his already closed eyes tightly and turns away from me, hanging his head. Even so, I can still hear what he says clearly.

'I killed her.'

There's dead silence for what seems like hours. Thresh won't look at me, won't look at anything; his eyes stay firmly closed against the world. One glance down at the bloodied rock in his hand and I know without him needing to say anything how Knife Girl met her end. Though my expression remains impassive, inside it is a turmoil of emotion.

I feel angry. Anger towards the girl who flitted off Rue's death like it didn't matter, anger towards the high rankers in the Capitol who put these children in this position in the first place and anger to those who cheer on the deaths of others. But there is some anger which I can't help but direct towards Thresh. He killed someone, a girl no older than eighteen. Granted, she was mentally tormenting him and he acted in a fit of anger… But he still killed her. Of course, there's no point in denying that there's some part of me that understands why he did what he did. If it had been me and Knife Girl had been going on about Angel or Gazzy, I would've definitely hurt her at least.

I remember days ago when I first crash landed into the Hunger Games, I'd been so disgusted with the whole concept and furious with Thresh (before I got to know him) for participating in such an event. If he'd come back that evening or the next days and told me he'd killed someone, I'd have left him and the wheat field without a second glance. But now, when he's actually done what I feared he would… I actually feel sorry for him.

His whole posture screams regret. He didn't want to do this and he's furious with himself that he did. It reminds me of when Max killed Ari almost two years ago. Max hated Ari and Thresh hated Knife Girl, or Clove. Neither of them are the type to kill, although both are physically capable of doing so easily, but when they did kill someone, they both regretted it.

Thresh mutters something I can't quite catch.

'What?' I ask.

'You need to get out,' he repeats, slowly turning back to facing forwards, his eyes now open and fixed on the dry ground beneath us.

'I'll get out,', I say. 'Back to the flock.' But he's shaking his head.

'Get out now.'

'I can't. Force-field, remember?' He shakes his head again.

'Get away from here. Monster Boy… Cato, he'll be tracking me now.' Oh. Of course. Thresh just killed his district partner and stole the thing he needs most. There's no way he won't be trying to track him down. A cold jolt rushes through me. The way Thresh said it, like he knew this was his time. Time to die.

_No._

'No,' I say. He finally glances up at me, then quickly looks away again, but not before I've seen the guilt and sorrow in his eyes.

'You have to,' he says, but it's my turn to shake my head.

'I'm not leaving,' I tell him firmly. He looks up at me again. 'You want me to just leave you here with that monster after you? No can do.' He frowns.

'You're getting out of here alive.'

'So are you.'

'No. The Fires…'

'Screw the Fires,' I cut him off. 'You're going to win.'

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><p><strong>Is he or isn't he? The thing is, I still haven't decided if I'm going to keep this cannon with the books or change it somehow. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to try and put my first poll up so you guys get a chance to vote. I may not necessarily go with what the poll reveals, but it'll just give me an idea about what you guys want. And double-oh-nothing, if you're still reading this; I haven't forgotten about my promise.<strong>

**Review? Or go see if I've managed to get the poll working.**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Crash Landing: Chapter 12**

**Oh my goodness, I am SO sorry guys! I haven't updated in almost four weeks, I am so ashamed of myself. Truth is, I've been completely swamped with ICT coursework (which is now completed and GCSEs are OVER!) but I've also had a severe cases of writer's block. This chapter is the point where I was going to decided which way it was going to go and it took me a while to sort out which one I was going to go with. But I have made my decision and this is what I'm going to do:  
><strong>

**This fic will stay in canon with the Hunger Games book. On the poll, only one person voted for that option and the other two voted for them both getting out (no one voted for Thresh to win. Poor guy :) ). However, although this fic is canon with the books, if enough people want me to, I will write an alternate ending in which Thresh and Fang both escape and Thresh meets the flock.  
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**Meanwhile, on with the chapter.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: If I owned the Hunger Games, Thresh, Rue and several others would still be alive. If I owned Maximum Ride, there would be a lot more FAX.  
><strong>

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><p>I look up at Fang in silence. He looks right back, his expression set in grim determination. Scowling, I look away again, glaring down at the ground beneath my palms.<p>

'I'm not going to let you die,' Fang says firmly.

'And I'm not going to let twenty three people die instead of just twenty two,' I shoot back. We're at a stalemate. Both of us are too stubborn to back down and neither of us are going to give up no matter what the other says. Fang's annoyed, I can tell because his hands have clenched into tight fists and he's glaring up at the sky as if the answers are hidden amongst the gathering clouds. It looks like it's going to rain. The billowing clouds closing in on us herald a storm at least and they're moving too fast to be natural. This will be a Gamemaker storm.

'Oh, sure. _Now_ it looks like it's gonna rain,' Fang mutters, glaring at the storm clouds. I don't say anything, but I agree with him. If this storm had come just a few hours earlier, I wouldn't have blood on my hands. The necessity to go to the feast at the cornucopia would've been unnecessary but there's no way the Gamemakers would've let me off so easily. In fact, I'm sure they planned this timing carefully so that the thing I needed most, water, would come free of any cost right after I had paid the price to get it.

Clove might still be alive.

No, I can't afford to think like that. Although I find it hard to class anyone as "enemy" when the situation is not their fault, Clove was a Career and while she may not have killed Rue, she would've done given quarter of a chance. She didn't deserve to die. But neither does anyone else forced to participate in the Games.

'Thresh, we need to move,' Fang says quietly, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn to face him, although I'm still unable to meet his eyes.

'What?' I ask stupidly.

'I said; we need to move,' he repeats.

'We?'

'Yes, we. I'm going to keep you alive…'

'Not going to work.'

'As long as I can,' he finishes. My scowl lightens slightly.

'Why?' I ask quietly after a moment's silence.

'Because I'm stubborn. Now get moving.' He gets up and heads into the mini cave, beginning to stuff what little I've got into my backpack. After a second, I get up to help him.

'What's in the District 2 bag?' he asks, stuffing the last piece of bread into the pack and zipping it up. I pick up the black backpack marked with a big number 2 and open it. Inside are two suits of a strange material. Like metal, but much finer and surprisingly light.

'Armour,' I realise, pulling out the smaller suit which must've been meant for Clove.

'Cheaters,' Fang mutters.

'It's the Hunger Games,' I remind him. 'There are no rules.'

'It's still cheating. Giving them an unfair advantage like that.' I nearly say that they had an advantage anyway, being from a Career district and therefore trained fighters and killers, but I stay silent. Fang's got a hollow look in his eyes that only comes every now and then. It's similar to the one Hazel gets when she's remembering something bad so I figure that's what it means for him too. In any case, I leave the matter alone.

We split the water and bread so we're each carrying a mostly-full bottle the four pieces each just in case we get separated. I've got my backpack that I got from the cornucopia during the bloodbath and Fang's using the one I got recently from the feast. Fang's also carrying the District 2 pack with both suits of armour still inside. We're going to hide it somewhere to give Monster boy… Cato a lesser chance of finding it. I ditch the rock I killed Clove with, but on Fang's insistence, grab another, similar sized one. The guy's hell bent on keeping me alive and as much as I appreciate the concern, which you don't tend to see a lot of in the arena, his attempts are only going to last so long.

Fang scuffs out the fireplace as best as he can whilst I remove as much evidence that we were here as I can. All the while, I keep glancing back in the direction of the Cornucopia. But no hovercraft has appeared yet. Throughout the good few hours since I killed Clove, at least one of us has almost always been looking in that direction, yet neither of us have seen the hovercraft come to collect her body. Have we missed it? Or is Cato not far away enough for them to take her? Did he really care about her so much that he's staying with her?

'Come on, we have to go,' Fang insists, kicking the last dead embers into the long stems. I nod and turn back to him, surveying our old camp. It almost looks as if we were never here and the soon-to-arrive rain will wash away any last tells. Satisfied with our work, we turn and head into the stalks.

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><p>Fang POV<p>

We trek for hours through the grass in silence, neither of us sure of what to say. Thresh leads the way, his strong form easily pushing through the stalks, carving fresh paths. Several times, we cross another path. Whether it was one he made in the days he's been here or we crisscrossing ourselves, I don't know. But it's good because it will confuse Monster boy when he tries to follow us.

My inner thoughts are turmoil. I need to get out of here and back to the flock, but somehow, I have to get Thresh out as well. What he'll do once he's out, I don't know, but I can't just let him die. It would be like Max leaving Ella in this nightmare (before she knew they were half sisters).

It starts to rain after a few hours. Just a light drizzle at first, but slowly escalating into a downpour so that by the time we stop to make camp for the night, we're both soaked.

We shelter ourselves from the rain as best as we can with Thresh's unzipped sleeping bag (which is water proof) and huddle under it. There's absolutely no point in even attempting to light a fire. Partly because of the rain and partly because we haven't got any wood to burn. We split a loaf of bread and drink as much water as we want, knowing filling the bottles back up again is almost easier done than said in this torrent.

The Capitol anthem sounds over the pouring rain and Thresh looks out from our makeshift cover. A dark haired fifteen or sixteen year old girl with sharp brown eyes glares down at us. She looks fierce and ready to fight, even in this still image. A prime example of a "Career" tribute.

'I'm sorry, Clove,' Thresh whispers, looking up at her. I don't look at him. Partly because he probably needs a bit of space, but partly because, much as I hate the fact; he's the reason her image is being displayed right here, right now. He killed her.

Clove's face is replaced with the Capitol seal again before everything goes dark. The cover shifts slightly and I look over to find Thresh lying down, curled into himself and trying to sleep. I lie down and mimic his position although I'm sure neither of us will be able to sleep.

The next morning, it's still raining, although not as heavily as yesterday. I slept for about half an hour during the night and the one time I did fall asleep, I was woken by Thresh in the grips of a nightmare and accidentally kicking me in the stomach, thankfully not too hard. I managed to calm him down without waking him up and now he's just stirring again.

'Morning,' I say. He blinks up at me, then nods.

'Hey, he replies quietly. He turns and scowls out at the rain.

'Yeah, I think they're trying to flood the arena or something,' I mutter, following his gaze.

'They wouldn't. Not after last time.'

'Last time?' I ask, but he just shakes his head. Clearly it's not something he wants to talk about.

'Can you swim?' I ask.

'Not very well,' he admits after a moment. I nod and he gets up, pulling his hood over his head as he folds up the sleeping bag. I pull my own hood up as the cover disappears. Thresh packs the sleeping bag into his backpack and we start walking again.

And that's how we continue for the whole day. Just walking, occasionally talking and stopping only for a few minutes at a time. The rain get heavier, then softer, then heavier again, but it never stops. We've crossed our own paths so many times, from the air, this place must looks like a cobweb by now, and the monster from District Two still hasn't found us.

Thresh is getting jumpy. Every rustle in the grass stalks that isn't either of us makes him start and whip around with wide eyes. His fingers are probably bruised from how tightly he's gripping the rock and his eyes are constantly flicking from side to side as if the very shadows are going to jump out at him. This is too close to the truth for me to comment on it. Cato could be anywhere. I find myself doing a 360 sweep of the surrounding area more and more often. I've never seen the career, but Thresh has described him to me and considering he's one of the two other male Tributes left in the arena and the only one stalking us, it should be pretty obvious if we run into him.

But night falls and there's still no sign of him. We set up "camp" with the unzipped sleeping bag again, but this time, we sit back to back so we can both keep a look out. The anthem plays, but no faces follow. According to Thresh, to have no deaths during the day this late in the game is very unusual as the Gamemakers are normally driving them together. There are only five people left.

'Will you fight him?' I ask.

'Monster boy?'

'Yeah.'

'Yes.'

'But you won't kill him?'

'No.' Firm. Final.

'Why not?' There's a pause

'I've killed one too many already.'

'So why fight him?'

'To injure him. So the Fires have a better chance.' I think about that for a moment.

'You really want them to win, don't you?'

'They deserve it,' he replies quietly.

'So do you.' No reply. I wait for several minutes, but he doesn't say anything else so I look back to the grass and strain my ears for any tell-tale signs of our pursuer.

I wake with a jolt as Thresh rips the cover off us and shakes me awake from a sleep I never meant to have. Much to my annoyance, it's still raining heavily. It's hard to tell from all the clouds, but I can tell it's no longer night time. I'd guess maybe six-ish.

'Thresh?' I ask, turning to look at him. He's jamming the sleeping bag into the backpack.

'Get out of here,' he says. I frown, we've already been through this.

'No.'

'Now!' His tone is harsh, demanding and it only makes me more determined to stay. I open my mouth to retaliate, but a voice in the distance cuts me off.

'_Eleven!_' Cato's close.

'Fang, move!' Thresh hisses urgently.

'I'm not leaving,' I snap back. We glare at each other before another outraged shout of Thresh's district number snaps us back to ourselves.

'You have to get back to your flock.'

'I have to get you out of here.' Thresh throws up his arms in agitation, his long, dark fingers still closed around the rock. It's no good. We're both too determined and stubborn.

'Eleven!' Cato yells again, this time closer. I turn to face the direction his voice is coming from, peering through the torrential rain to try and locate him.

'You really won't leave?' Thresh asks, quietly.

'No,' I reply bluntly. There's silence for a moment. Then…

'I'm sorry, Fang.' His voice is right behind me. I turn to ask him what he needs to be sorry for and my eyes just have time to take in the clenched fist swinging towards my head before it makes contact and everything goes black.

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><p><strong>Oops. Yeah, this was the only way I could think of for Fang allowing Thresh to fight Cato: Thresh knocking the hybrid out. Fang wasn't too happy and tried to steal the keyboard, but Thresh was too stubborn so... There you go.<strong>

**Please leave a contribution in the little box.**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	13. Chapter 13

**Crash Landing: Chapter 13**

**This is it. Thresh vs Cato, the two giants of the 74th arena. I hope I did the fight scene justice and will Thresh still be alive at the end of the chapter? *Gulps* I'm actually scared myself.  
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**WARNING: This chapter contains graphic violence and a fair amount of blood. Do not read if you are squirmish or dislike graphic violence. You have been warned.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: In some reality, I own anything I want, including the characters. However, this is not that reality.****  
><strong>

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><p>I catch Fang before he hits the ground as he collapses, unconscious under the force of my blow. I didn't want to have to do this, but he's so stubborn, it's the only way to keep him out of the inevitable fight that's about to commence. Holding Fang across the chest with one arm, I shrug my backpack off my shoulders and pull out the sleeping bag. I lay it on the ground and lay Fang down on it before folding it over so he's covered from the rain and the mud. Don't want him to get pneumonia whilst I'm fighting.<p>

'Eleven!' Cato's almost upon me now. My fingers tighten around the rock and I stand up, turning and running towards him, but then diverting off in a different direction. This way, he'll know where I am, but the fight won't be anywhere near Fang. After just a few seconds, I hear Cato's pounding footsteps behind me, even above the noise of the rain, but I keep running, trying to get as far away as possible. It's hard; the continuing rain has made the earthy ground muddy and slippery, but I manage to stay on my feet until I come to a small clearing in the stalks, like a crop circle. I stop on the other side of the space and turn to face my oncoming attacker.

I don't have to wait long.

Monster boy bursts out of the long stalks and stops dead when he sees me waiting for him. He's soaked to the skin, all traces of mud and blood washed away, but no amount of rain could wash away the wild, crazed look in his bloodshot eyes and for the first time, I wonder if Cato is entirely sane.

For the longest moment, we stare each other down. My eyes flicker to the sword in his hand and the knives, which I recognise as being Clove's, strapped to his belt. His mad eyes look down to the primitive rock in my hand and a sadistic grin breaks out across his face.

'That all you got?' he taunts, having to raise his voice to be heard above the thunder.

'Yes,' I reply simply. A crueller person may have taunted that it served its purpose well enough, but I'm not cruel. At the sound of my voice, however; Cato's eyes narrow and his muscles coil.

'Give her _back!_' he snarls, almost animalistic.

'I can't.'

'You took her from me!'

'I know and I'm sorry.' He laughs at that. A harsh sound with no real humour in it.

'I don't want your apologies, Eleven, I want your life.'

'My name is Thresh.' I refuse to be called by my District number.

'I don't give a shit! You killed Clove, now you're going to pay.' And with that, he lunges forward, swinging the sword in a trained arc towards my head. I sidestep the blow and twist out of the way as he tries to follow through with his free hand, curled into a fist. This isn't a fight I can win, I knew that already. But I could still do my best to last as long as I could and wear him down.

I duck a strike which would otherwise have taken my head off, then stumble back as Cato's fist catches me square in the stomach. Recovering quickly, I feign a punch to my left, then strike out with my right, rock in hand. Cato falls for it and he lets out a snarl as the rock slams against his torso, possibly cracking a couple of ribs. A sharp pain down my arm makes me grit my teeth as the sword leaves a long gash from my shoulder to my elbow. No time to asses the damage, I catch Cato's fist as it flies towards my face and twist his arm around, but he hits me on the head with the hilt of his sword and I lose my grip. Blood trickles down into my eye and I quickly wipe it away again as Cato lunges at me. I deflect the sword with my rock, but he still crashes into me, sending us both tumbling to the ground. We roll over and over, each trying to gain the upper hand. We're too evenly matched. I may have been an inch or so taller and slightly stronger, but he has been training to fight his whole life and more experience. Thunder rumbles all around us, lightning periodically lighting up the battle scene and Cato's bloodthirsty eyes.

'You can't beat me, Eleven,' he jeers as I roll away from another of his blows. 'You can't win.'

'Maybe, but I can still try,' I snarl. 'And my _name_ is _Thresh_!' My fist collides with his jaw and he reels back. I take this opportunity to grab one of the numerous knives he took from Clove. The effect is instantaneous.

'No! That's not yours!' he yells, swinging the sword which I only just manage to dodge.

'It's not yours either,' I shoot back, knowing I'm only just digging my own grave with these words. I strike forwards, managing to cut him down his cheek. A snarl of anger and hate rips through the air and the sword leaves a long gash down my chest before I have time to jump back. A gasp of pain leaves me as blood wells up, staining my soaked t-shirt and jacket.

'What's hers is mine,' Cato snaps. 'She was mine. I was hers.'

'You loved her,' I realise, the pieces finally slotting together. The guilt flashes through me again, stronger than ever. He loved her…

'Yes!' he screams. 'Yes, I loved her! We were going to win together and you destroyed her!'

'I'm sorry,' I say, ducking another blow.

'_Sorry_ doesn't make it right. _Sorry_ doesn't bring her back.' But there's nothing else I can do. Cato lunges again and I shake all thoughts from my head and engage myself back into the fight.

What feels like hours later, we're both bloody, bruised and exhausted. Cato has a black eyes and his nose is broken, as are two of my fingers. Both of us have numerous lacerations and Clove's knife is sticking out of Cato's shoulder where I managed to embed it. It's a battle between the two giants of the arena and there's no way anything else is being displayed on every screen across Panem.

Cato regains his balance as he nearly slips on the reddening mud and thrusts the sword at me again. I dodge around the blade and bring my rock crashing against his shoulder. He bellows in pain and I see the arm hanging limply by his side, dislocated. Unfortunately, it's his left and he's right handed. Neither of us stop and he swings the sword at me again, this time catching my hip, although not too deeply. I recover quickly and spin around to launch another assault as he drive his sword towards me again…

I jerk to a stop. My breath leaves me in a strangled gasp as white hot pain courses through me, blinding me momentarily. When it comes back, I look up at Cato's insane blue eyes, just inches from mine, then down to the sword embedded deep in my stomach.

Cato shoves me and I go down like a rock, landing on my back as another gasp of pain leaves me. I can feel the cold metal inside me, alien, unwelcome and unbelievably painful. Then my sight is filled with Cato as he looms over me, looking down with hate and victory. He's popped his arm back into place and the bloody knife I stuck in his shoulder is now in his hand. After a moment, he crouches down next to me.

'If I didn't hate you so much, I'd be impressed by how long you lasted,' he says, almost conversational, but with a murderous undertone. 'Even Marvel would've gone down before you did.'

_Marvel._ The boy from District One. Rue's true killer. A shudder of anger ripples through me, adding another wave of agony.

'Here's what's going to happen,' Cato continues, tracing my jaw with the knife. 'First, I'm going to almost kill you the way Clove would have. Then, I'm going to finish you off the way you killed her.' He wrenches the rock out of my hand and sets it down beside him, out of my reach. I struggle against him, trying to ignore the flashes of pain each movement sends through me. In response, he grabs my right hand and holds it against the ground to the side of my head, palm up before driving the knife through my hand into the earth below. I barely have time to cry out before he pulls a second knife from his belt and repeats the action with my left hand.

I have never truly understood the term "sadistic" until now.

'Now, where to start,' Cato ponders to himself, looking me over. His eyes come to rest on the slash across my chest from early on in the fight and a cold smile spread across his bloodied features. The wound had mostly stopped bleeding, but that quickly changed as Cato pulled a new knife out of his belt and slid it down the line. I grit my teeth and squeeze my eyes tightly shut against the pain. The lack of sight does not mean a lack of pain, but I won't scream. I won't give him that satisfaction. Fire Girl faced Clove with defiance, so I will face Cato with the same.

'Stubborn, aren't you,' he says. I don't reply. If I open my mouth now, I won't be able to stop myself screaming. 'No matter. We'll soon fix that.' Another line is carved into my body, this time down my leg. I squeeze my eyes closed, then force them open again. Lightning flashes again, illuminating the two blue hollows of madness that are Cato's eyes.

'You made Clove scream,' he tells me, fury in his tone. 'So I'm going to make sure you do too.'

I'm beginning to feel the effects of blood loss. My head's spinning and the pain's clouding my vision. Cato raises the knife to draw another line into me, but just as the point pierces my arm, a sound reaches my ears, strong even above the rain and thunder.

The sound of wing beats.

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><p><strong>*Swallows* Yeah... I hated writing that. Who could hurt my Thresh like that?<strong>

**Next chapter... Well...**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	14. Chapter 14

**Crash Landing: Chapter 14**

**Hey, guys. I know I haven't updated in over a month, and I am extremely sorry for that. However, I do have several excuses. The main one being that I've been away. My family and I were in Turkey for just over two weeks and got back this Saturday. The second reason is simply that I've been avoicing this chapter. We all know what's going to happen and I just couldn't bring myself to write it. I got about halfway before having to stop. The rest of it was written today and yesterday, but I've finally finished and here it is.  
><strong>

**HeyJude95, I knicked some of one of your comments because it fit in really well. And double-oh-nothing, I don't know if you're still reading this. But remember I promised to incorporate your idea into the story? Well I finally have.  
><strong>

**So... Enough putting it off. Here's the chapter.  
><strong>

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><p>I wake to the rain splashing down on my face and seeping into my hair. Squinting, I open my eyes cautiously before the pain registers in my head and I close them again. Breathing steadily, I push past the pain and try to remember what happened.<p>

Thresh.

Monster boy.

A fist flying towards my head.

'Dammit!' I swear, my eyes flying open and instantly getting a face full of rain. I reach up to wipe the water away and struggle to sit up. That's when I realise that I'm in Thresh's sleeping bag. And he isn't.

'_Dammit!_' I force myself out of the bag and stand up, only to stagger and clutch my head as a shot of pain rushes through it. That guy's got a mean punch. It takes a heck of a lot of force to knock one of us human-avians out and Thresh managed it no problem _and_ gave me a pounding headache to wake up to.

_Thresh._

Is he dead? Still fighting? How long have I been out? I grit my teeth at his stubbornness. I should've realised he would try something like this; find a way to lose me so he could engage Monster boy alone. Shoving the sleeping bag away from me, I scan the surrounding area for tracks or any indication as to which way he went. But the rain has washed away any footprints and the wind has blown the stalks in so many directions, it's impossible to tell which is the track he carved through them.

Then I hear the cry. It's faint after the echo of thunder, but loud enough for me to be able to hear the agony in it and clear enough to make my blood run cold with recognition. Thresh is still alive. But for how much longer? Can I still save him?

Damn the cameras. Damn the Capitol and damn secrecy, my friend's in trouble.

Taking a running start, I leap into the air and snap out my wings, pushing down hard, then pulling them up to gain altitude. Flying in a storm like this is dangerous, especially since the storm is artificial and no doubt all aspects, including the lightning, are being controlled. It's hard to see through the torrential rain, but I can see enough that if I stay at this height, I'll be able to make out the dark shape of a human on the ground.

Flying in circles, spiralling outwards from where I started, I let my eyes sweep over the terrain. I don't dare call out for him, less Monster boy also hears and decides to end the fight quickly. All the time, my ears are pricked for the dreaded sound of a cannon.

I lose track of time, focusing everything into finding Thresh as quickly as possible. Every second feels like a minute, every minute is an hour so I truthfully have no idea how long I have been flying for before I finally spot two dark figures shaded against the rain.

Without stopping to consider anything, I turn in a sharp arch and fly straight for the figures. One is on the ground; Thresh, and the other looms above.

Monster boy.

I don't even try to slow down before I slam into Thresh's attacker and send us both tumbling to the ground. He's caught completely off guard and I easily wrench the knife in his hand away from him.

'Wha… What the hell?' he splutters, struggling blindly against me.

'Leave. Him. _Alone!_' I snarl, punching him with every word. Monster Boy finally pulls himself together and kicks out, forcing me to roll off him to avoid it. He scrambles to his feet, but I shove him back and he stumbles again. Once he's regained himself, he turns to attack again, then stops as his eyes freeze on my wings, still unfolded behind me.

'Mutt!' The word flashes me back to when I first met Thresh and he accused me of the same thing.

'Not mutt,' I reply, my voice as cold as ice. '_Worse._' Drawing myself up to my full height, I'm about an inch taller than him and with my wings spread out to their full fifteen-foot span; I'm clearly a terrifying sight illuminated ominously in the lightning because fear enters his wild eyes.

'Who… What are you?' he stammers, taking a step back.

'I'm the Angel of Death.' Cheesy and unoriginal, but I've _got _to get him away from Thresh. 'And if you don't get out of here _right now_, I swear to every fibre in my being, _I will kill you!_'

Monster boy backs away another two steps and for a moment, I think he's going to run. But then he suddenly darts forward and around me and the next second, Thresh cries out. I whip around in time to see the attack and duck as Monster boy swings a sword, slimed with dark blood, at my head.

I blur into motion, my anger fuelling my movements. Slipping around Monster boy, I grab him around his waist and heave him over my shoulder so he lands in the mud behind me. Then I reach down and grab his sword, flinging it away as hard as I can into the stalks. Monster boy scrambles back, now weaponless, his eyes wide with fear and madness. I take a threatening step towards him, hard fist raised and ready. He wrenches himself to his feet and shoots off into the grass like a bullet from a gun.

He won't be back in a hurry.

The immediate threat gone, I turn back to Thresh… And my blood freezes.

Despite the torrential rain, blood seeps out of more laceration than I can count all over his body. His arm and leg are bleeding badly and there's an unsteady rise and fall to his chest that accompanies his ragged breathing. I begin to feel sick when I see the two knives, embedded in his hands, pinning them to the ground below. His stomach has practically been torn open, a large wound that can only have been cause by a sword. Monster boy must've twisted the weapon when he pulled it out, leaving this gaping injury. From what I can see, no vital organs have been hit, but it's a deep wound.

The kind the kills slowly.

I drop down onto my knees beside my friend and his eyes flicker over to me after a moment.

'Hey,' he says weakly, his voice sounding scratched. I shake my head.

'You noble, selflessly idiotic boy,' I scold him. 'I told you not to fight him. Look what's happened now.' He manages a half smile.

'Had to try,' he gets out. 'Fires have better chance now.'

'But you don't.'

'No.' We fall silent. We both know what's going to happen even without saying it. I'm never one to sugar coat things and now is no exception. There's no way Thresh is going to make it. I don't have anything to heal him with and even if I did, his injuries are just too severe to be treated successfully.

He's going to die.

I look down at him, then my gaze flickers to the two knives, still pinning his hands down.

'Let's get those things out,' I say quietly, moving around to his head. I reach for the knife in his left hand but glance to him before I touch it. He meets my gaze and nods, closing his eyes tightly and clenching his jaw. Holding his wrist down with one hand, I grip the hilt of the knife with my other and pull it out quickly. Thresh flinches, a muffled cry filtering through the air. Without hesitating, I repeat my actions with the knife in his right hand, this time earning a full cry. I throw the bloodied knives away deep into the stems, having no wish to see or use the things.

'Thank you,' Thresh whispers. I turn back to him and sit down next to him. After a moment, I extend one of my wings and tilt it so it's above his head and torso, shielding him from the worst of the rain. He blinks and shakes his head slightly, getting rid of most of the water. But there's still some near his eyes. Whether it's rain or tears, I can't tell.

'The Capitol will've seen you,' he says, looking up at me.

'I don't care.'

'You shouldn't have come'

'Monster boy would've killed you.' Thresh looks away and I grit my teeth. Monster boy _has_ killed him. It's just going to take longer than if I hadn't intervened.

'You've got to get out,' he finally says, still not looking at me.

'I'm not leaving you.'

'I'm not sticking around much longer.' I hold back a shudder at his blunt words. At last, he turns back to look at me. His strange dark and amber eyes blinking hazily from the blood loss.

'Guess you're gonna be the last person I see.'

'Poor you,' I say, half heartedly trying to add a bit of humour. He smiles.

'Could be worse.'

'Could be Monster boy.'

'At least you're a friend.' I don't reply for a moment. We both knew we were friends, but this is the first time either of us have said it in so many words.

'Fang, talk to me.' There's an undertone of pleading in his voice.

'What do you want me to say?'

'What's flying like?' This catches me off guard. No one's ever asked me that before because almost all the people I talk to know themselves. Normally, I'd feel self conscious, talking about this sort of thing. But I owe him.

'It's… It's hard to describe really. When you're up there and there's no one else around you, you have the whole sky to yourself. There's nothing but the wind on your skin and the strength of your wings. It's when I fell less human, but it's also when I feel strongest. Even after everything I've been through, I wouldn't chose having a normal life if it meant losing my ability to fly.'

'Rue always said she wanted to fly,' Thresh murmurs, his eyes half closed. 'Said that when she died, she'd come back as a Mockingjay so she could sing and fly and be free.'

'I'm not much of a singer.' This gets a small, quiet laugh and his eyes open a bit more. 'You want Max for that.'

'Your girlfriend and the flock leader?'

'That's the one.'

'What's she like?'

'Stubborn. She's tough, fierce and she never backs down or lets anyone tell her what to do. But she can also be calm although that doesn't happen often.' I pause and look up at the sky for a moment, wondering how Max and the flock are coping. Then I look back down at Thresh who is clearly weaker than he was before.

'What about you? Got a girlfriend?'

'No.'

'Who's going to miss you?'

'My grandmother and my older sister, Hazel.'

'Parents?' A pause.

'Six years.' That's all the answer I need.

'Tell me about your sister.' Thresh smiles slightly, his eyes lighting up.

'She's a lot like your Max. Strong, determined, but still kind. She looked after me when we were younger. I used to be scared of the dark and she helped me get over it, always looking out for me and Grandmother. Grandmother tries so hard. She refuses to accept that she can't work anymore so we have to make sure that she's not pushing herself too much.'

'They sound like good people.'

'They are.'

A few minutes later, a quiet hum fills the air. I look down at Thresh who's staring up at the sky, and after a long moment, I recognise the tune. It's the one he sang the night Rue was killed.

After a time, the song ends and silence falls again, broken only by the rain, occasional thunder and Thresh's ragged breathing. He blinks a few times and shakes his head as if to clear it. The blood loss is getting worse. I'm no expert on the matter, but I can tell he doesn't have long left.

'I like storms,' he says quietly after several minutes of nothing. 'They're strong, powerful. Nature, something even the Capitol can't control.' It's becoming an effort for him to speak. I could point out that this is a Gamemaker storm; strictly speaking it's unnatural. But I don't.

'Sometimes we fly in storms,' I tell him. 'You have to be careful. But as long as you aren't trying to get anywhere, you just spread your wings and let the wind take you where it will.'

Silence again. This time for longer.

'Do you… Believe in the afterlife?' Thresh asks, his eyes, previously closed, now open and flicker up to mine.

'I don't know,' I admit after thinking about it for a moment. 'But if there is, I have no doubt that you'll get there. You're a good person, Thresh. Anyone with a tenth of a brain can see that. A good friend.' There. I said it.

'Thanks… Fang,' he struggles to get out. He's fading fast now, his eyes flickering closed, then being forced open again. The hand near me gropes at the ground as if searching for something. After a moment, I put my hand gently on top of it, trying not to feel the hole where Cato's knife was. It isn't often I act this way, but Thresh is my friend and he doesn't have much longer in this world.

'Get back… Your flock… Max…'

'I will. I promise.' He smiles up at me and I smile back.

Then his eyes lock onto something behind me and they widen, a light appearing in them. He reaches out with his free hand and, to my amazement, his torso lifts up as he stretches towards something I can't see.

'Rue!' he calls out. The single word is full of hope, wonder and joy.

But then he slumps back down as if someone's cut his string and I catch him on instinct before he hits the ground, holding him carefully. His muscles all relax, his head lolls to face me and I watch as the life light in his dark, golden brown eyes slowly fades to nothing.

Thunder rumbles across the sky. But under the deep tone, there's another sound.

The sound of a canon.

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><p><strong>It's done.<strong>

**...**

**...**

**Yeah, I'm crying. Dammit.**

**Just to warn you, I'm away now until Wednesday so any questions or review responses will have to wait 'till then. I need that long to recover anyway. But this story is far from over. More will come, that I can promise you.**

**Fly on through the night, my friends.**

**~EndlessMidnightSky~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Crash Landing: Chapter 15**

**Well, it took me one day short of two months, but it's finally here. I apologise eternally for the hold up. You have two things to thank for this chapter's lateness.  
><strong>

**The first is school. I am now in Sixth Form and doing my A levels, which results in a _ridiculous_ amount of homwrok that has been eatin away at my free time.  
><strong>

**The second is Fang. After Thresh was killed, Fang refused to talk to me. I practically had to force this chpater out of him sentence by sentence. He'd go for days on end without speaking and then deliver a few short lines before falling silent again. Can't say I blame him for his anger, but I'm not giving up on this story, which means he's not allowed to quit on me.  
><strong>

**I swear, I will do my damn best to get the next chapter out without such a stupidly long wait. Sorry again, guys. Thanks' for bearing with me.  
><strong>

**I own neither Hunger Games, nor Maximum Ride. If I did, things would be different, especially in the last three MR books.**

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><p>I'm reluctant to close his eyes, but eventually I do, taking in their dark amber colour for the last time. There's no light in them anymore. No life.<p>

Ask anyone who knows me at all, and they'll tell you I don't cry. I could count on one hand the amount of times I've cried in my life, and they were all within the first ten years. I haven't broken my record, but there's a hard lump in my throat that won't go away. Thresh was the only person outside the flock who I would call a friend.

And now I've just lost him.

For the first time, I can honestly understand how Max must've felt at Ari's funeral.

I know the Capitol will be coming to collect his body and send it home to District 11, but I don't want to leave him. Sappy as it may sound. I just feel like there's something unfinished. Call me crazy, but it's just a gut instinct.

The rain's still thundering down all around me, bending the surrounding wheat almost double…

Oh.

I look back to Thresh, remembering the night he found out Rue was dead. He'd braided her initial out of wheat. It was clear that he'd done it before so I assumed it was his District's tradition. No way can I recreate the complicated braid he used, but I know how to plait thanks to Nudge's insistence.

Getting up, I move away as short a distance as possible to the wheat and pick three long stalks. Coming back over to Thresh, I sit down again and break each stalk in half. I take the top three and plait them together clumsily, trying to remember what Nudge taught us and identifying the key points in between all her jabbering.

It takes a while, and several times I have to undo a few rounds, but eventually I have two plaits: one made from the top half of the stalks, and the other from the bottom half. The bottom half's slightly incomplete with the three strands having some leeway. I take these and wrap them around the centre of the top-half-plait, tying them together so the bottom-half-plait is tied to the middle of the top-half-plait.

It's slightly lopsided, but it looks enough like a "T" that I'm satisfied. I place it on his chest, then move his hands so it looks like he's holding it. Hopefully that will keep it from falling off when the hovercraft comes to collect him. I would stop them, but Thresh told me that dead tributes are sent back to their District to be buried by their families and I know he'd rather have that than be left to rot in the arena that killed him.

Looking down at him one last time, I get up and leave, only looking back once. Then a strange hum fills the air and I look back in time to see Thresh's body being lifted up and disappearing into the belly of the craft.

I expect the hovercraft to disappear then, but instead, the claw comes down again, this time aiming for me.

_Hell no!_

Instantly, I turn and run. Within seconds, there's a spotlight on me, following me, but struggling to keep up. My wings are still out in the open, folded against my back, but not under my jacket like they usually are. I hadn't hidden them after sheltering Thresh from the rain.

In other words, the Capitol already knows they're there.

My next stride launches me into the air and I unfurl my wings, beating down, then up to carry me above the long grass until I'm level with the craft itself. I don't stop and keep ascending above the hovercraft and for a moment, I consider dropping onto it as no place is safer than the surface of what's pursuing you where it's scanners can't reach. Right in the blind spot. But then I see the faint flicker of blue lightning running across the edge.

It's electrified. Touching it would turn me into bird-kid popcorn.

Turning in mid air, I start flying away from it as fast as I can in this weather, which is still pretty damn fast.

I keep a look out for the force-field, flying low and looping back and forth so as to avoid crashing into then edge of it. Though I don't know exactly how big the arena is, judging from Thresh's descriptions, it's several miles in diameter. That may seem like a lot, but when you're flying at close on 180mph, twenty or thirty miles gets crossed in a matter of minutes.

I lose count of how many times I crisscross the arena, but eventually I can no longer hear the hum of the hovercraft and land in a strong oak tree. Staying still for a while, I blend myself in. If they've got heat sensors, this won't help much, but hopefully it'll give me some kind of guard, especially from the four remaining tributes.

Minutes or maybe hours pass. The rain doesn't stop but the sky gets darker. I shift my position to look out between the leave to the sky, knowing that when the anthem sounds, it'll be Thresh's face that appears.

Sure enough, there he is.

The light's back in his eyes, despite the scowl on his face. It's just a headshot and he clearly wasn't happy a bout it being taken at the time, but it's him.

'Goodbye, Thresh,' I whisper quietly. His face lingers for a few moments, then disappears forever.

I won't sleep tonight. I can't. Thresh's death is too fresh in my mind and the hovercraft could reappear at any moment. I get myself comfortable in the tree, with my wings slightly over my head to shield me from the rain, but in a position that allows me a quick escape either up or down if danger threatens.

An hour or possibly two later, the rain cuts off all of a sudden. One second it's there as heavy as ever, the next it's simply gone. I blink in surprise, my ears ringing in the sudden quiet that had been driven out by the continuous pounding. Then I shake my head in an attempt to get rid of the water, knowing it's a futile attempt without the warm sun and I soon settle back against the tree, folding my wings into my back.

The night passes uneventfully.

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><p>The next morning, I'm still awake, although not quite as alert. My clothes are sodden and it'll take hours for them to dry despite the hot sun. As it climbs, the air gets hotter and hotter, reminding me of the blistering heat we suffered before the Feast.<p>

These "Gamemakers" clearly have a thing with weather extremes. Flitting from one to the other as easily as they please.

It makes me sick. They're no better than the whitecoats.

I shrug off the backpack and open it to pull out a loaf of Thresh's bread. I turn it over in my hands for a moment, then tear it in half and put the bigger half back into the pack before sitting back against the tree trunk and biting into it. All the time, my ears are pricked for the telltale sound of the hovercraft, but none comes and the morning passes.

I'm woken from a half-asleep state by voices close to the base of my tree. For a moment, I consider escaping, before remembering that not only am I high in a tree, I'm also currently invisible.

'…Chasing away the game.' A male voice. And not Monster Boy.

'Only because your leg's hurt,' a female voice replies and it's not Fox girl. Must be the Fires from District 12. I remember Thresh mentioning Fire Boy's absence from the Feast and believing him to be injured. This confirms that assumption to be true.

I look down from my tree and find the two of them not three metres from the base off the tree I'm in. He's average height, well built with dusty blond hair. She's more lithe, about Max's height with dark brown hair in a single braid. They're both filthy, crusted with mud and dry blood. Their clothes are torn, Fire Girl has a bandage around her head and Fire Boy has one on his leg. Fire Girl has a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back.

'…Comes and kills you,' Fire Girl's saying. Her boyfriend laughs at this.

'Look, I can handle Cato. I fought him before, didn't I?' My gaze flickers down to the wound on his leg and I suddenly have no doubts as to how he got it.

If only he knew how fortunate he was. This boy's strong, but not nearly as strong as Thresh or Cato. How he escaped with his life I have no idea.

Fire Girl gives him a look that's cross between annoyance, relief and gratefulness. Then she pats the tree I'm sheltering in.

'What if you climbed up in a tree and acted as lookout while I hunted,' Fire Girl suggests. Fire Boy grins.

'What if you show me what's edible around here and go get us some meat,' he replies without hesitation. 'Just don't go far, in case you need help.' Fire Girl rolls her eyes at this, but beckons him to follow her and they disappear off into the wood. The occasional whistle from one or the other reminds me of their presence.

A sudden rush of anger races through me as their whistles bounce back and forth. These are the two Thresh died for. If one of them were dead, he wouldn't have felt the need to die so they could both win. I want to yell after them and tell them what he did for them. That he faced Cato and died to increase their chances of winning.

But the Capitol's still searching for me, no doubt. Monster Boy and Fox Girl could be anywhere, and I can't risk it. I promised Thresh I'd get back to the flock and I have no intentions of never seeing them again.

A rustling below me snaps me back to the present and I look down to find the familiar flame-red hair of Fox Girl immediately drawing my gaze to her position leaning against a tree opposite mine as she looks at something cupped in her hands.

Several hundred metres away, I hear an argument break out between the Fires. Something to do with apples and cheese. That's all I can make out.

Movement from Fox Girl draws me back in time to see her bite into an apple, the smears of cheese still on her fingers. I can't help but grin slightly as the link between her and the Fires' argument becomes apparent. Smart girl. She's a thief, stealing from the other Tributes to keep herself alive.

She finishes the apple right down to the core, then pulls out a handful of berries which look like blueberries, but slightly different. The juice staining her hands is red, not purple and suddenly I am filled with the uttermost certainty that these berries should not be eaten.

'All over soon,' she breathes, barely audible, even for me. 'Soon, I'll be free.'

Without another word, she tips the berries into her mouth, chewing for a few moments before swallowing. A stray stain of juice escapes the corner of her mouth, the colour making it appear as if she were bleeding.

She smiles sadly up at the sky, then suddenly convulses and drops to her knees, hands clutched over her stomach. Not a sound leaves her lips as her limbs spasm and fail and she collapses onto the ground, twitching for several long moments before finally falling still. Green eyes staring up at the clouds glaze over and, for the second time in twenty four hours, the canon resonates throughout the arena.

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><p><strong>*Moment of silence for Foxface*<strong>

**As you can probably tell, this chapter's really more of a filler. More action will come next time. And next time will come sooner than last time did. I promise.  
><strong>

**See you soon and thank you again for being so patient.  
><strong>

**~EndlessMidnightSky~  
><strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Crash Landing: Chapter 16**

**...So much for my promise. I'm sorry, guys. I honestly, truly am. I'm not going to make excuses because you know them already and there isn't much I can do about it. But I promised myself that I'd have it out before the end of the year and here it is.  
><strong>

**This chapter was slow going and you have a long car journey to thank for most of it. I've made it extra long so hopefully that will redeem a small section of my sinful procrastination.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter. We're almost at the end of the Games, but there's still more to come after that.  
><strong>

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><p>Three players remain. Out of the twenty four that began this sick game, only Monster Boy and the Fires are still alive. And I've seen two of them die. One of which was my friend.<p>

It's been almost a day since Fox Girl was poisoned and I still can't quite work out whether she knew what she was doing or not. Thresh had said she was clever and she must've been due to her surviving so long. And yet when the Fires had found her, they'd said that she must've thought the berries were safe due to Fire Boy's own ignorance of their deadliness.

I haven't seen the Fires since then, or Monster Boy. Not that I want to. I want nothing more to do with that bastard other than to make sure he doesn't kill the other two. Thresh died so they can live and I'm gonna make sure that happens.

The odds are break even. It's two against one and I've seen how competent Fire Girl is with that bow. But Fire Boy's injured and I know a little too well just how efficient Monster Boy is. He took down Thresh who was easily stronger than both the Fires combined. If it comes down to close range fighting, it could really be anyone's game.

I push my bangs out of my eyes as I walk through the forest, my ears pricked and my eyes darting from side to side constantly. My pocket knife is open and in my hand, but other than that, I'm weaponless except for my own strength and fighting abilities. Career or not, I'm stronger than Monster boy. Cato.

But he has more weapons.

Judging from the position of the sun, it's about mid afternoon. With every minute, I feel more tense and glance over my shoulder more often. All the birds have stopped singing and the only noise is the wind in the trees and my own footsteps and breathing.

It's the calm before the storm, and when the storm comes, it's going to take at least one life.

What was that noise?

I freeze where I am, straining to hear the slightest sound. After the longest moment in recorded history, I hear it again. A faint scuffling and a low growl. But it's a long way away.

Everything falls quiet again for the longest moment and the silence feels so tense that if I cut through the air with my knife, I could clove it in two.

Then suddenly their air is alive with growls, snarls, howls… And screaming. The first three are animalistic to the highest degree, but the last is unmistakeably human. It's male.

It's Cato.

The screaming stops, but the dog like snarls continue. And they're increasing in volume. Getting closer. Running footsteps through the bush, heading straight in my direction with more footsteps behind. A lot more. Cato is still alive and whatever this new horror is, it's chasing him and hot on his heels.

Within seconds, I'm up in the nearest tree to watch the scene unfold. Not ten seconds later, Cato explodes out of the shrubbery. There's blood marring half his face and long scratch marks down his arm. His bloodshot eyes are wide and even from my position up here, I can see the undiluted terror in his eyes.

As he disappears into the forest, the reason why appears less than fifty metres behind him.

_Erasers._

The wolf like creatures are certainly not natural and there's an eerie human quality about them which initially makes me think of the flock's childhood nightmare. But as I watch them pursue Cato, I quickly come to realise that these are not Erasers.

Erasers, for all their lupine DNA never, even when morphed, walk on all fours as these are. These don't seem to be able to speak English, only in the snarls and growls I had heard earlier. They're not as shaggy as Erasers and their faces are too flat. Too human.

These must be examples of what Thresh described as "muttations". Creations of the Capitol. I don't remember him mentioning any wolf like muttations, but if the Capitol's anything like the School, then there's nothing to stop them creating new mutts to catch opponents off guard.

There's at least twenty of them and I'm surprised at the range. They're all sorts of sizes, proportions and colours, some of the colours being ones I have never seen on any wolf, dog or Eraser. All of them are collared, but I can't imagine anyone wanting to walk these things.

All this runs through my mind within a few seconds as they stream by the tree I'm in after Cato. I watch as they vanish through the trees into the distance…

But not all of them.

Two of them have skidded to a halt and have turned back. They retrace their steps, noses to the ground and sniffing. A huge dark one, the biggest of all the mutts and a much smaller one, lithe one with fur I can only describe as auburn. After a moment, an even smaller mutt only a few shades lighter than the dark one runs back and tries to push the large one in the direction all the others disappeared in. But it's like a mouse trying to move a mountain and the big one's having none of it.

It's caught my scent.

It makes a beeline to the tree I'm in with the red one right behind him and the small dark one making noises that almost seem like words of protest. It dances around the two bigger mutts, tugging at the big, dark one's ear, head butting the red one and generally trying to get them to go back to the pack and chase Cato.

Unfazed, the dark one reaches my tree and smells it suspiciously before looking up. It's lips pull back, revealing extremely sharp teeth and a deep growl emanates from the back of its throat as it spots me.

The next moment, all three of them are gathered around the base of the tree, leaping up to try and reach me. They can jump worryingly high and break branches on their way back down, leaving great gouges in the tree trunk from their claws.

The tree shudders. It's a pretty strong one, but if I stay up here too long and they don't give up, I'm not sure how long it'll stand the abuse.

Only a few minutes later and I know the tree won't last much longer. The trunk around the base is significantly thinner than it was before and the whole plant's beginning to sway every time one of them jumps against it. I need to get out.

I climb further up the tree where the forest is less dense, much to the obvious annoyance of the creatures below if their snarls are anything to go by. Once I'm satisfied that my wings won't catch on anything, I launch myself into the air.

The snarls stop abruptly.

My curiosity gets the better of me and I look down to find them all staring up at me, still and silent. Now that their faces are no longer twisted in anger, canines bared and baying for blood, it strikes me just how human they really look.

How human…

Are they human lupine combinations that just turned out differently than the Erasers? Maybe there's a greater percentage of wolf DNA. I study the lithe red one and it stares back up at me with green, round pupiled,_ very_ human eyes.

That's when I see the number 5 engraved on her collar.

'_So you're from District 11. The Fires are from 12 and Monster Boy and Knife Girl are from 2?'_

'_Right,' Thresh replies, biting into a piece of bread._

'_What about Fox Girl?'_

'_District 5.'_

District 5.

Fox Girl.

It's her. It's her DNA combined with that of a wolf to create this mutt.

And I thought the Capitol had run out of ways to make me feel sick.

My gaze flickers over to the tiny dark one. Huge brown eyes, almost feminine features. Number on the collar…

11.

Rue.

This is Rue. This is the tiny girl Thresh cried over so many nights ago. To have everything that Thresh told me about her; her singing, the way she hopped through the trees, the way she never seemed to stop smiling, how brave she'd been at the Reaping when her name was called… To have all that and see her DNA being used in this way…

Suddenly I can't look at the biggest wolf. Because I know exactly what I'll find and there's no way I can face it. I can't see him in this way.

It makes sense now, why it's these three who are the only ones to break off from the main pack. Thresh and Fox Girl are the only ones (apart from Cato, who's still alive) to have ever seen me. They must've recognised my scent. And then Rue came back because of her ties with Thresh.

But DNA doesn't contain memory.

If it was just their DNA used, they wouldn't recognise me. Rue wouldn't have any sort of link to Thresh.

_What have they done?!_

'I'll kill you,' I hiss, glaring up at the sky and hoping, for the first time, that the Gamemakers can hear me. 'I swear to God I'll kill you, you fucking bastards.'

I beat my wings to carry me up, away from the dead Tributes still staring after me. As soon as I'm out of sight, I hear them take off again, running in the direction that the others left in, once again pursuing Cato.

I fly in the opposite direction, wanting to be as far away from the fight which will inevitably happen. I don't want to see it. I don't care if the Fires get involved. What the Gamemakers have done has shaken me harder than anything since the two month period five years ago when we were still at the School and I thought Max had been killed during an experiment.

I fly aimlessly for a length of time I don't give a shit about, having to double back when I almost fly into the force-field. Eventually I land on a rock formation in the middle of the forest. The only sounds around me are the wind and my own breathing. No animals. No water.

The hours progress and the light dims and still these is no sound. There's only one sound I'm listening for. A canon. A single canon to signal Cato's death and The Fires' victory.

But none comes.

Night arrives and the temperature drops. I wrap my wings around myself to keep warm, but it's still too cold. Still no canon. Where could Cato have hidden that the mutts can't get to? Up a tree? They'd tear it down with time. A cave? But surely they'd be able to get to it.

I run through all the features I've seen from flying around this arena, trying to work out which could keep the wolves at bay. The lake? Wolves can swim and I have no doubt these can too. I'm considering that he might've been able to lose them in the cornfield, but then I remember that they have heightened sense of smell. And in any case, he wouldn't have been able to run for this long.

Then it hits me.

The cornucopia.

I've only seen it briefly when I was flying away from the hovercraft two nights ago, but I remember deeming it as climbable. But only just. Cato could make it up but the wolves couldn't.

That's where he is. And maybe the Fires too.

I finally make up my mind to go and find them just as the first rays of the sun begin to light up the sky.

It's still colder than comfortable, but I don't feel like I'm about to get frostbite anymore. Besides, flying will help warm me up.

I push off from my rock formation and take to the sky. A quick scan of the surrounding area and I have my bearings. One of the many perks of being a genetically altered bird-kid. The cornucopia is South-East.

Still no canon. The only thing I can think of is that Cato is there alone and the Fires are hiding elsewhere, waiting for the mutts to get him. They can't be on the cornucopia together because either they'd have killed Cato or he'd have killed one, if not both of them by now.

But when I finally arrive, I see that I'm wrong. All three of them are there together, but they're not all on the cornucopia.

The mutts are gathered around the mouth of the cornucopia and there's lush tearing sounds, accompanied by snarls and half cries, too weak to scream. I don't see Thresh among the throng and I don't look for him. Instead, I turn to find the Fires curled against one another on the cornucopia, Fire Girl doing something to her partner's leg. If they're up there…

As much as I hate him, it makes me feel sick to know that somewhere amongst that mass of muttations is Cato, slowly being ripped to pieces.

But how is he still alive?

Movement from the top of the cornucopia catches my eye and I look over to see Fire Girl stringing an arrow to her bow, taking aim and…

The canon sounds.

The mutts draw back, then turn and race into the forest.

Fire Girl and Fire Boy turn to each other and embrace tightly.

The Games are over.

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><p><strong>They think...<strong>

**Ok, I'm not going to promise that I'll have the next chapter out withing a certain amount of time. However, I am going to promise that no matter what, this story WILL be finished. Even if it takes me until I'm forty to post the last chapter, it WILL be done. This, I promise you.**

**Once again, I'm sorry for the extended wait. I don't ask for forgiveness, I just ask for acceptance of my apology.  
><strong>

**~EndlessMidnightSky~  
><strong>


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